Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Nude Bomb Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 16, 2020

Clive Donner's "The Nude Bomb" (1980) arrive son Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include two audio commentaries; deleted and edited scenes; plenty of archival promotional and production materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Chief, I am 10,000 feet in the air, facing a squad of killers... who I think know who I am."

Fans of the classic Get Smart TV series would have never conceded that a theatrical film with Don Adams’ character could be just as good. Let’s just agree that it is so because it makes critiquing Clive Donner’s The Nude Bomb so much easier, okay? The film is not a masterpiece, but it is absolutely not the trainwreck some overzealous fans of the TV series have argued it is.

The madness begins when special agent 86, Maxwell Smart (Adams), is summoned by his chief (Dana Elcar) and ordered to prevent the destruction of the world by the terrorist organization KAOS. Led by the nutty villain Savage (Vittorio Gassman), KAOS plans to detonate hundreds of ‘nude bombs’ across different continents which have the ability to instantly evaporate all fabrics and therefore cause unimaginable mayhem and damage. Smart immediately goes to work assisted by the stunningly beautiful Agent 22 (Andrea Howard), Agent 36 (Pamela Hensley), and Agent 34 (Sylvia Kristel).

So, let’s break down what works in Donner’s film and what does not.

The narrative has more than enough of the silly twists and turns that make Get Smart attractive, plus Adams is almost always right in the middle of them. In other words, the funny isn’t that much different than the funny from the series. The situations that Adams gets stuck in are quite diverse as well, which means that the film does look appropriately exotic. There is even a nice period soundtrack created by maestro Lalo Schifrin that adds a touch of class. So, there is quality in this film and it isn’t difficult to spot it.

There are a couple of things that weaken the film and ultimately make it easy to critique. First, it does not have the big and strong supporting cast the series enjoys, so the talent void is quite difficult to ignore. Adams is funny but very few of the people around him consistently add to the fun; most of the time they actually anticipate Adams to lead and engage them. Second, though not by much, the quality of the writing is inferior, and a good case can be made that because Adams is left alone to impress a lot of the situations that he is pushed in evolve in predictable fashion. He quickly runs out of original tricks and gags and after that the film begins to stutter. Finally, some of the editing throughout the film isn’t overly convincing. For example, there are cuts and transitions that come abruptly and leave the impression that some scenes are simply rushed. On the other hand, the Universal Studios promo piece – which is precisely what it is – is way too long.

This is basically it. It is true that there is quite a bit that Donner and his team could have done to make the film sharper, but with the current cast it would not have been enough to satisfy fans of the series. A lot of them seem almost obvious to the fact that the film does not have the same time, meaning opportunities, to develop rich secondary characters that could help Adams appear more creative. This is an unavoidable issue. In the series a lot of great things happen because of team efforts that have evolving dynamics, and with this type of material it is simply a lot easier to consistently delight the audience in original ways.

Donner used the services of cinematographer Harry L. Wolf, whose credits also include contributions to Columbo, The Beverly Hillbillies, Project U.F.O., Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Series, and Baretta.

The Nude Bomb Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Nude Bomb arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. It is a good master that lacks the typical enhancements similar masters emerging from the studio's vaults exhibit. Contrast levels are slightly elevated but the overall appearance of the visuals is actually quite wonderful. Now, both delineation and depth can be improved, but these are the type of limitations that are common on older masters. What is important to underscore here is that the film does not have a weak dated and/or compromised appearance. Basically, there is room for small improvements that would strengthen depth, delineation, clarity, and to a certain extent fluidity. The color scheme has very nicely saturated primaries and surprisingly carefully balanced nuances. In fact, the its overall temperature and balance are so good that I do not think that there is any room for meaningful improvements. A new master would rebalance select highlights as well as shadow definition and nuances in darker areas, but the difference will be minimal at best. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Nude Bomb Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

As soon as the opening credits appear and Merry Clayton begins singing "You're Always There" it becomes crystal clear that the audio was properly remixed when the current master was created. Clarity, stability, and depth are very nice, plus dynamic intensity is as good as I expected it to be. To be honest, I don't think that a newly redone audio will offer any improvements.

The Nude Bomb Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer The Nude Bomb. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• TV Spots - two vintage TV spots for The Nude Bomb, sourced from a VHS. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - vintage radio spots for The Nude Bomb. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Image Gallery - each collection presented with music.
  
  1. Alternate scenes. (4 min, 1080p).
  2. Behind the scenes. (5 min, 1080p).
  3. Promotional Materials and Costumes. (4 min, 1080p).
  4. Lobby Cards and Posters. (4 min, 1080p).

• Trailers From Hell - a vintage episode of Trailers From Hell with writer/producer/director Alan Spencer. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Textless Opening/Closing Credits - a vintage episode of Trailers From Hell with writer/producer/director Alan Spencer. Music only. (6 min, 1080p).

• Deleted, Extended, and Alternate Dialogue Scenes - the footage that is presented here was redone/edited for the '80s TV broadcast of The Nude Bomb. In English, not subtitled. Sourced from analog masters. (29 min, 1080i).

• Commentary One - recorded by Alan Specer, creator of Sledge Hammer!.

• Commentary Two - recorded by film critic and historian Peter Tonguette.

The Nude Bomb Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When you watch The Nude Bomb it becomes pretty obvious that the studio execs at Universal that greenlighted it did not want it to be a conventional cinematic extension of Get Smart, which is the biggest reason why so many fans of the classic TV series find it problematic. However, I also get the feeling that the same execs did not have a clear idea precisely what type of identity their 'new' and 'independent' film should have had. For what it is, if seen in the wee hours of the night the film can be pretty entertaining, so I don't agree with the harsh criticism that has been thrown at it, but the truth is that with Don Adams on board the end product should have been a lot more exciting. RECOMMENDED.