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54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A final farewell from Steed and friends, May 21, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The New Avengers '77 (DVD)
Alas... all good things must come to an end and in 1977, it really was the end of the road for Steed and his Avenging partners. I'm a huge fan of the New Avengers but of course most who love the original Avengers series from the sixties have little regard for this seventies version. Watching this final batch of 13 episodes comprising the second season of the show, it's easy to see why. Even I have a hard time defending my favorite show! The first season was so vastly different to the original sixties incarnation in many ways that it could not easily be regarded as inherently part of the same show. But there was enough style, humor, panache and charm to carry it through and the creation of Purdey (played so wonderfully by Joanna Lumley) was surely enough to keep Mrs. Peel's fans intrigued and captivated. Sadly the promise of the first season simply evaporated in the second, which cannot be regarded as much more than a very, very distant cousin to Steed's original outings. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem is. Certainly it's not helped by there being three very different styles of production throughout the thirteen shows. Six were made and produced in the UK, three in France and four in Canada. The Avengers was such an undeniably British experience that taking the show abroad was never likely to work. Steed always looked out of place in his bowler and with the furled umbrella, even in swinging sixties London, but the dignity of the character and the quirkiness of the format always carried the day. Once placed in Canada or even Paris, he simply looks ridiculous and it no longer makes sense. The six British made shows are clearly rejected scripts from the first season and indeed in the case of "Medium Rare" is actually a rehash of a script used in another series altogether ("Thriller" made by ATV a few years earlier). But it is what it is. French and Canadian money was needed to finance the show and it's at least interesting to see the show try and develop and follow a new format. It's just such a shame it couldn't work. The quality of the DVD is excellent, the on screen menus very well executed and the sleeve and box artwork is striking. Like the first season, there is an odd choice of photographs for the box with Steed hardly looking his most svelte and composed. Perhaps his worried expression is an indication of what to expect inside! There have been many rumours that the Avengers would come back once more, but other than the (quite dreadful) movie it has never amounted to much. The format simply could never work without Patrick MacNee as Steed and even in 1977 his age had already caught up with him. So this box set remains a tribute to the last TV adventures of one of TV's greatest heroes. Thanks A&E for a great box set.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A different view, July 3, 2004
This review is from: The New Avengers '77 (DVD)
Ok maybe 4.5 stars, but I couldn't pick that. Since I would give avengers 76 5 stars, 4 and 1/2 would be appropriate for this. I agree the stories aren't quite up to the first year, (although I have plowed through the first 12 episodes in a little more than 24 hours; I did have to sleep) but they are entertaining none the less. I still remember 2 of the stories("Angel of Death", "Emily") from 25 years ago when this was shown late Friday night on CBS. I was anxious to get them just to see those two again. Sure, "Emily" is silly at times, but the best avengers stories bordered on the absurd at times but still kept you enthralled(remember the Emma Peel episode where they knock down the walls at the end?) "Obsession" allows Purdey to show some real emotion and while it is a change of pace to see the avengers in Paris and Toronto, Steed looks dashing wherever he is and there is lots of good interplay between the three characters. Still well worth purchasing.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
( 4.5 stars actually) some good, some great, August 2, 2004
This review is from: The New Avengers '77 (DVD)
This second set of the New Avengers is a mixed bag. Some episodes were even filmed in Canada. Some are good, some are gems. So 5 stars is a wee bit high. I'd give it 4.5 1) Dead Men are Dangerous
2) Angels of Death
3) Medium Rare
4) The Unicorn and the Lion
5) Obsession
6) Trap
7) Hostage
8) K is for Kill: part 1
9) K is for Kills: part 2
10) Complex
11) The Gladiators
12) Emily
13) Forward Base At some points, for some stupid reason, they stuck Purdey in a bad wig! Even Benny Hill had better wigs! The Lion and the Unicorn is a fast paced romp, that show the excellent team work between Lumley and Hunt. But Emily is the episode that really steals the shows. Quite different from most of the New Avengers, this one is play tongue completely through cheek comedy. Emily is a car and the villain accidentally leaves his hand print on the top of an elderly lady car. They can catch the bad guy if they get the car to HQ with the handprint intact Only bad guy is out to stop them. Again, Hunt and Lumley's team works so well for this episode that is a howl. I great addition to the Avengers library, though they were starting to show the lack of originality in several episodes. Same because they team of Macnee, Lumley and Hunt were really hitting their stride as a team.
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