The '80's saw a number of U.S. made-for-television movies reuniting the casts of old shows, including 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.', 'The Munsters', 'The Six Million Dollar Man' and 'The Wild Wild West'. Amongst these was 'Get Smart Again!' which brought back Don Adams as incompetent CONTROL secret agent 'Maxwell Smart' and Barbara Feldon as fellow agent and wife '99'. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the original was a huge hit which ran for five years.

Directed by Gary Nelson ( who made the 1979 Disney sci-fi adventure 'The Black Hole' ), 'Get Smart Again!' opens in Washington where Commander Drury ( Kenneth Mars ) is wondering what to do about the revived threat of KAOS, who have built a weather machine with which to blackmail the world. Major Waterhouse ( John De Lancie ) suggests reactivating Max Smart. The man in question is at a funeral, as one of the pallbearers, when his old shoe/phone rings for the first time in years. While he goes off to answer it, the other pallbearers drop the coffin and it slides down a grassy knoll, eliciting a chase.

Max is given the assignment of defeating the KAOS plan and sets about reuniting his crack team of agents, amongst them Hymie the robot ( Dick Gautier ), currently working as a test dummy in a driving school, and Larrabee ( Robert Karvelas ), who has a habit of popping up where you least expect him, such as in a filing cabinet and a fire hydrant.

The previous attempt at reviving the Smart character was the 1980 movie 'The Nude Bomb', which strangely failed to include '99' and was not generally liked by fans. 'Again' works better because it feels like an extended episode, with the famous title sequence and theme tune back in place, and Bernie Kopell reprising his role as Nazi-like KAOS villain 'Siegfried'. Though Mel Brooks did not have a hand in the script, his zany sense of humour is very much in evidence. For instance, when Smart, Drury and Waterhouse wish to exchange secrets, they go up onto the roof of their headquarters and attempt to speak while helicopters hover overhead. Unfortunately, most of what they say is rendered inaudible by the choppers' engines and they are nearly blown off the roof by the draught caused by the blades.

Later, a KAOS killer breaks into Max's house at night. Not wishing to disturb 99, Max tries to fight as quietly as possible, a process that involves him tossing cushions and shoving chairs around so that the killer will not make a sound when he falls on the floor.

All of Max's catchphrases ( 'Missed it by that much!', 'Would you believe...' and 'And loving it!' ) are present and correct, as is the famous 'Cone Of Silence'. There are new gadgets too; Max wears magnetic boots which pull the villain's gun out of his hand. Then there's 'Dr.Denton's Hall Of Hush', a room in which speech is converted into words which then magically appear in mid-air. Soon there are so many floating about it becomes impossible for either Drury or Max to read them.

Adams is as wonderfully deadpan as ever, spitting the absurd dialogue through clenched teeth as though he actually believed it. The chemistry between him and Feldon is nicely preserved. Max continues to call his partner '99' even though they have been married for twenty years! In a nice touch, the film is dedicated to the late Edward Platt, who played 'The Chief' in the original series.

In the mid-90's, a new series was made, once again starring Adams and Feldon, but focusing on the exploits of their equally incompetent son, played by the unfortunately-named Andy Dick. It lasted only seven episodes. In 2008, the inevitable 'Get Smart' movie was released, starring Steve Carell as 'Max'. I have not seen it, so won't comment.

Though made on a typical television budget, 'Again!' manages to be a lot more amusing and inventive than Mike Myers' overrated 'Austin Powers' movies.

Everyone is back! Except for the Chief(Edward Platt, died in 1974) in this reunion of the fabulous 60's spy spoof "Get Smart". Agent 86, aka Maxwell Smart(Don Adams) is called up to fight KAOS, along with Agent 99(Barbara Feldon) they will be kicking butt again. Lots of new gadgets are here, like the magnet shoes that both Smart and KAOS leader Siegfried(Bernie Kopel, who later became the Doctor on "The Love Boat") wore. Then there's that Maj. Waterhouse(John deLancie, The Notorious "Q" on the latter "Star Trek" series: TNG, DS9, and Voyager) who would end up a double-agent. 99 used that gun that really packed a punch. The coolest gadget that topped it all was the laser credit card, only if Smart would learn to deactivate it first after use. The reunion movie was great, and all the characters were regular as usual. It was nice the movie mentioned Platt after 15 years of his death, he would be smiling down on everyone in the set. The reunion and the originals are a gem, the last attempt of revival should have been lidded. CASE CLOSED! Rating 2.5 out of 5 stars.

"Get Smart, Again" rights the ship that had listed badly with "The Nude Bomb" nine years earlier.

For whatever reasons, the late great Don Adams and Robert Karvelas as Larribee were the only series regulars to star in the earlier film (Bill Dana and Joey Forman had small roles).

This time around, the gang's all here, except Ed Platt who died in 1974, and they haven't lost a step. All those dumb, idiotic, wonderful jokes are there; the timing is there; the characters are there. It's all there and it's all wonderful.

For fans, this is a joyful trip back down memory lane. Viewers new to the insanity will be curious to check out the classic series.

"Would you believe...." Yes, we would.