MovieChat Forums > The Avengers (1998) Discussion > Can't Understand Why This Hasn't Develop...

Can't Understand Why This Hasn't Developed A Serious Cult Following


Basically, EVERY piece of crap movie out there seems to have -some- cult following and gets at least a '6' rating here. But 3.7??? C'mon!

I was a fan of the original series when it came out. I see this as different from the original as 'The Dark Knight' from Adam West.

And I like this thing. Ralphe almost channels how Chapman and Cleese used to play the British banker types. Any chance to see Eddie Izzard play a droogie is worth taking. Uma has the requisite hotness. And the puns are just as bad as in the original. And Sean? He gets to play the caricature of himself that all comedians do.

I liken it to 'Death to Smoochy'... a fave of mine... which also has a dismal rating but has real moments of genius. I think it's a bit too clever and campy for general audiences but it should have at least -some- love.

I give it a solid 7. If yer high? 8.5

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[deleted]

Yeah, don't get me wrong. Death To Smoochy is one my few -9s-. For whatever reason, I think it's -almost- perfect in what it tries to do.

Avengers is (mostly), as you say 'competently made'... 6ish. It may not be what audiences today want, but I grade these on what I think the authors were trying to accomplish rather than current tastes.

But I take back what I said about Eddie... his character (especially the high wire fight) is the weakest part of the show. It's a shame to see someone so great wasted.

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[deleted]

I think the fundamental problem is that it doesn't have any charm.

There are lots of bad films that have a following because they have charm. Films like Mystery Men, or The Core, or Universal Soldier. Battlefield Earth and so forth. You can watch them with friends while getting drunk and they're hilarious.

But The Avengers is just dour. Very little happens. Eddie Izzard was funny in Mystery Men - in The Avengers he doesn't do anything. The cast look as if they want to be somewhere else. There are no good lines. It doesn't even work as a competent action thriller because the plot is broken.

On the positive side it has Uma Thurman wearing a leather catsuit. On the negative side, everything else.

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This isn't a very good movie, but I agree with OP. This has plenty for a cult following. And it was never meant to be taken seriously at all. Connery is clearly playing the whole thing way over-the-top.

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Probably because it is complete and utter trash.

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