Don't be swayed by some of the negative reviews. This movie is entertaining, and fun to watch. As has been noted in other posts, Martin is not Sellers, and Kline is not Lom. But you already know that. That being said, Steve Martin puts his own spin on the character, and most of the time it worked quite well. If you remember, the original Pink Panther was made in '63, A Shot in the Dark was in '64, and it was 12 years before the next one with Sellers was made. And during that time, Alan Arkin played Clouseau. So, Sellers playing the inspector wasn't an instant classic, and took over a decade to catch on enough to make sequels.
The plot in this outing is no more strained or outrageous than the others, and the slapstick comedy is just as forced at times as in the previous movies. But that is what Panther fans expect. If you were an adult when the first Pink Panther movies came out, you will remember all of the negative attitudes from numerous movie goers about how silly and juvenile they were. But those of us who 'got' the humor loved them. And those of us who 'get' the humor this time around love this movie.
I am just saying, give it a chance. It may not be the same as the originals, but it comes closer than anything else ever has or ever will. Sellers may be dead, but if you miss the spirit of Clouseau, it is alive in this movie. Let the people who want to appear sophicated bash this movie all they want, but I am pretty certain that even though they compare it to the original and point out its shortcomings, they would probably have had the same negative attitude toward the original movies had this forum existed back then.
The movie doesn't take itself seriously, so we shouldn't take it seriously either. Watch it, laugh out loud, enjoy it, and have an enjoyable evening.
