Rating: 2.5 Pulses

Rated PG-13

Until I became barraged daily by Get Smart’s advertising campaign, I was pretty sure the 2008 film adaptation of the 1960s television hit was going to suck. Hail the all-mighty preview, powerful marketing tool and industry manipulator.

So, they got me with their flashy, funny advertisements, stupid Sierra Mist commercials and Subway promotion. And I got a little excited about seeing Get Smart, if only for a good laugh at The Rock (oh, I’m sorry, “Dwayne Johnson” now, is it?) for trying to put a money making career of faux wrestling behind him.

Get Smart ended up being a harmless summer comedy, with a few reverent salutes and dedications to the great ’60s show, but not enough to please old-school fans of Maxwell Smart’s shoe phone.

But for those who don’t have an overactive sense of nostalgia, or who are too young to recall the show very clearly, Get Smart stands alone as a pretty funny spy – action flick, with a solid cast, glossy production and plenty of stuff getting blown up.

Carell’s (Smart) charm carries the audience past the overly predictable plot. Hathaway continues to prove her versatility as a surprisingly believable Agent 99. Arkin only seems to get better with age, and his furious portrayal of The Chief is funnier than a lot of the cheesy jokes the movie seems to stand on.

Carell’s Smart is a little, well, smarter, than the TV original. Hathaway’s portrayal of Agent 99 is also a bit more up to date, with less simpering and more ass kicking.

The politics could have been more edgy, with a lot of the plot feeling Cold War and old James Bond instead of tackling current issues. But that didn’t stop the writers from mocking our nation’s president (portrayed by James Caan) as a man who falls asleep during the symphony and cheers when an old man gets tackled.

If you’re ready to loosen up and get a few laughs in, it’s nice and cool in the theater. Get Smart won’t be a classic, but at least it wasn’t as embarrassing as Steve Martin’s remake of the Pink Panther.