What idiot thought it would be good to replace Peter Sellers?

Well, if you try hard enough, perhaps you may be able to come up with an interesting different character. It will be very difficult to make people forget about the original one, though, so it's always better to replace the original or abandon the idea altogether.

Alan Arkin as Closeau is a good example of a bad decision. Edwards wasn't involved, though. And the replacement idea was even worse because Sellers was alive and well at that time!

In the old movies, even though Closeau was cartoonish, he was played seriously enough by Sellers to be considered, more or less, a "real" person. Sellers, and the script, allowed the character spots throughout the movie where he could be seen as a more or less normal person, or where at least his stupidity was subtler.

Take, for instance, Closeau's first appearence in Return of the PP: he is doing patrol duty, peacefully walking along the street, waving his nightstick. It's only when he tries to look cool and salute a pretty girl that he -lightly- smacks his own eye with the nightstick. That's subtle, funny, and shows Closeau as a clumsy moron, but at the same time keeps the idea that he can be a real person. Of course, the series had it's over the top moments (especially regarding bombings), but there weren't a lot of them.

With Martin, Closeau IS a cartoon, and it seems there is nothing he can do without coming to catasthropic consequences. Everything is overdone and over the top. Example: Sellers' Closeau had Kato attack him in his apartment. Those were outrageous fights, ridiculous, but at the same time, they took place INSIDE Closeau's residence, much to the chagrin of his neighbors. Martin tries to have Closeau "tested" all the time, in the middle of the street, at any time, and even by Ponton's kids. Everything Closeau does has tremendous consequences. In the first PP, the earth globe not only gets away, it also causes a lot of mayhem in the street. A Viagra pill becomes an incendiary bomb. A mouse click can shut down the power in all Paris. There is no proportion between Closeau's actions, and its results.

Another indicator of how dumb is Martin's take on the character is visible even through Closeau's clothes. As far as I've seen, Martin's Closeau is always dressed with the same greenish suit, and stripped, mismatched (with the suit) socks. However, in the original movies, and aside from his trademark raincoat and hat, Closeau dressed in a variety of suits and clothes like any other real person (in Return, he even lost the raincoat completely two thirds into the movie). That Martin regards so essential this "visual identification" through all the movie is a clear indicator of how poor his characterization is.

I'm a great fan of the Pink Panther films but even I must admit towards the end of their original run the formula was becoming tired. The Revenge of the Pink Panther (Sellers Last proper Panther film) was quite bad, and as we know, both Sellers and Edwards were making the films purely for easy money, as since quiting the role of Clouseau after A Shot in the Dark Sellers made loads of bad films and had no choice but to make more Panther Films with a director he didn't like.

Sellers and especially Edwards after Seller's death really milked the series for all that it was worth, with three relaunches Trail/ Curse/ Son of the Pink Panther which were no patch on the originals. The later Panther films became dependant on costume gags, which weren't that funny. The best films were maybe the first 4 including the film 'Inspector Clouseau' where he is played by Alan Arkin, who does a great job.

The Martin films are no patch on the original, but they are definately refeshing to watch after the previous attempts to continue the series as it creates a whole new world. He plays Clouseau really well in his own way, like Arkin did in the third film of the franchise.

People argue that Steve MArtin is after easy money, but isn't that what Sellers and Edwards did. People also argue that the new films are unrealistic, but who can remember Dreyfuss been desroyed by that lazer in The Pink Panther Strikes again.

People have forgotten that the originals maybe weren't as good and as we may have rembered , the new films are different, but refreshing, Sellers was a talented actor, but the sad fact is that he has only starred in 6 films of the series (Including Trail) out of 11, and one of those films was made of deleted scenes, so it is clear that the franchise has somehow survived without him and I'm sure it'l continue too!