Get Smart (about Spiritual Warfare)

For some reason, over the past decade or more, Hollywood seems to have been obsessed with taking every popular TV show from the 60s through the 80s and turning it into an "updated" big-screen adventure. Generally speaking, I try to avoid these, because what they end up with is almost never as good as what we already have, and often their attempts to make things more "modern" or "adult" just ruin it - but once in a while, I can't help myself, and OCCASIONALLY I am pleasantly surprised!

The 2008 movie, Get Smart, is an interesting example, because there are definitely lots of elements that are meant to remind you of the original series: Max still uses all the old catchphrases from the TV show, character names are carried over, they still use the telephone booth and the shoe phone, and there's even a cameo by Bernie Kopell (the original Sigfried). There are other allusions to the old show, too, and yet, no one in the movie is really trying to do an impersonation of the original actors. Terence Stamp (the new Sigfried) said he had never seen the show before he assumed his role. Steve Carell (the new Maxwell Smart) didn't even try to imitate Don Adams' iconic voice or copy his delivery of the famous catchphrases. And yet, as a fan of both spy films and the old show, I personally enjoyed it.

Of course, Maxwell Smart was never as smooth as James Bond. He was always somewhat of a klutz, and made you wonder how he ever could have become a secret agent in the first place. But would you believe that the new Max can actually teach us some important spiritual truths?

Well, believe it or not, I'm gonna try to explain.....