Good concept, poorly executed.

Better Late Then Never

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I cannot believe at the time of writing this review this film has an average of 6.2, this is a 9 surely. Over 50 years on this remains a hilarious James Bond spoof. Banned from using characters from the James Bond franchise, Gerald Thomas creates Agent Charlie bind, 00-0. Kenneth Williams leads a team of British spies who must take on the STENCH criminals and capture the stolen formula of Professor Stark, who was blown up by the Milk man at the start. Spying stands out from the other early Carry on films by being very camp, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey are on fine form. Barbara Windsor has just finished playing Gloria in the Rag Trade, she makes a great start to her legendary Carry on career, by playing Daphne Honeybutt, although it would be 3 years before she'd return as Sandra May in Carry on Doctor. Dilys Laye is gorgeous in this film and is uncredited for singing The Magic of love, but it was actually her voice. A real feel good film, and one that will make all the family smile.

I remembered enjoying this when I saw it as a child in the 1970s but feared that it wouldn't be as good watching it as an adult; thankfully I was wrong! Many Carry On regulars such as Sid James and Hattie Jakes are missing from this spy spoof, it does however include Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Cribbins and Barbara Windsor in her first Carry On film. Williams plays a bumbling British agent Desmond Simpkins who is sent to retrieve a stolen formula from the evil STENCH. On this mission three trainees who are almost as incompetent as he is accompany him. Their mission will take them to Vienna, Algiers and finally to STENCH's underground lair where they finally confront the evil Dr. Crow.This outing for the Carry On team nicely spoofed the spy genre made popular by James Bond; the core story could have come from a real spy thriller only this time it was played for laughs rather than thrills. The agents incompetence led to several laughs; often when they accidentally preventing a competent agent retrieving the formula. Barbara Windsor put in a fine debut performance and looked rather appealing disguised as a harem girl; unfortunately the same can't be said of Bernard Cribbins! The final scenes in the underground lair were pretty silly but when I was a child they were the ones that amused me most. If you are a fan of the Carry Ons this is a must see and if you like spy films it should give you a few laughs as it gently sends up the genre.

When the evil forces of STENCH strike at a British research laboratory they get away with a top secret chemical formula. With the British agents spread thin across the world, The Chief has very few options open to him to follow up the lead into the mysterious Milchmann who led the attack. The Chief scraps the bottom of the barrel and comes up with Simkins – probably one of his worst agents. Assigning Simkins with a handful of trainee agents – Crump, Honeybutt and Bind – the ragtag band set off to meet up with Agent Carstairs in Vienna.Despite being made in the mid-sixties this Carry On film has more in common with those made early in the series (Teacher and Sergeant) more than it does with those made around the same time as it (Jack, Cruising, Cowboy). It is not just the black and white that made me think this but also the fact that the humour seems fresher and slicker than the heavy innuendo and crudity of the later films. Others have said this has more in common with Ealing than Carry On – they are wrong, but I can see what they mean because the light spy spoof is very much an early Carry On. The material isn't great though but it does produce easy and obvious comedy and those looking to just to fill a wet Sunday afternoon.The cast make a big difference even though not all the regulars are present. Williams and Hawtrey are the most fun as both play up their camp characters to good effect – they both get the best lines as well. Windsor is pretty good as she isn't just used as an object. Cribbins was pretty dull I thought but Dale was good value in a small role. Additional support from Barker, Laye and a few others all helps. Overall a Carry On like they first made them; not brilliant but light fun.

It is rather unusual to see the Carry On team trying to spoof the James Bond type films, but they almost do it well. Basically a team of spies assembled by the British government, including The Chief (Eric Barker) are sent to retrieve a chemical formula stolen by STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans). This team include Desmond Simkins (Kenneth Williams), Daphne Honeybutt (Barbara Windsor in her first Carry On film, and she's not in as many as the others), Harold Crump (Bernard Cribbins), Charlie Bind (Charles Hawtrey) and Carstairs (Jim Dale). There are some great misunderstanding jokes, some sexy moments with Windsor and ultimately, it is a good spy spoof, but where's Joan Sims? Good!