2.5 out of 5 stars

After watching Get Smart — a jumbled, silly spy spoof — you’ll probably feel that you’ve left the theater with a few less brain cells. The film is a disastrous mix of a James Bond flick and a Will Ferrell comedy. It has none of Bond’s thrilling suspense and contains only mildly successful humor.

An adaptation of the popular 1960s Mel Brooks television series, the movie features the same quirky characters, still working for the secret U.S. government division CONTROL and fighting against its Russian nemesis, KAOS (pronounced “chaos”). After KAOS strikes the American agency, fumbling hero Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) finally becomes a field agent, and he pairs up with sexy Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to awkwardly save the world.

With its perpetual silliness and slapstick humor, one college viewer commented that the highlight of the movie was the consistent randomness and that everything else was secondary, including characters and plot.

The characters and plot actually manage to detract from the film. Agent Smart is almost too smart for the classic role. Intelligent and capable in many scenes, Maxwell Smart doesn’t live up to the hilarity of the ridiculous, dim-witted hero of the television series. Unbalanced and inconsistent, the humor often falls flat. If Smart can effortlessly break out of a high security prison cell, it’s hard to believe that he failed his agent exam eight times.

The plot is just as confusing and inconsistent. Each disconnected and jumbled scene fails to develop the plot or the characters. After each random scene — like a drawn out, absurd dance-off, or a dramatic explosion at the CONTROL headquarters — the characters and the plot seem to be exactly where they left off.

Carell’s portrayal of Smart is also disappointing, as the acclaimed comedic actor fails to make his character unique or hilarious. Instead, Agent Smart is too proper, too dull and annoyingly childish.

Those who watched the original television series might find more to appreciate in the movie, with Get Smart’s inclusion of various catchphrases and props, like the secret shoe phone and the cone of silence.

But for the unfamiliar viewer, the on-location scenes in Russia may be the highlight of the film. Although the spy work is anticlimactic and the humor pedantic, the Russian landscape is extremely beautiful.

The high-quality cinematography, prolific explosions and impressive stunts can’t save Get Smart from its rambling, incoherent plot. Even with big-name actors like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bill Murray, the film still ends up cheesy, unremarkable and directionless.

The official movie Web site, where you can play online Get Smart games, send e-cards and create your own Secret Agent, is almost more organized and interesting than the movie itself.

If you really want to be smart, wait to rent the film on DVD. Or better yet, just rent the classic TV series.

[Reach reporter Michelle Anderson at arts@thedaily.washington.edu.]