REEL CRITICS:

“Get Smart” jumps and glides across the screen as a pleasant surprise of the summer movie season. The satire of a terrorist plot offers as much silliness as the Cold War madness of the TV show. But the producers also give us top-notch special effects that you would expect to find in a real James Bond film. Throw in a bunch of snappy one-liners, and you have a combination of ingredients for box-office success.

Great casting also helps. Steve Carell brings the right amount of nervous deadpan shtick to the role of clunky secret agent Maxwell Smart. Anne Hathaway plays it straight as his credible and sexy partner in the spy thriller parody. Dwayne Johnson is the square-jawed super agent. Alan Arkin is the politically refined chief of the undercover organization. Cameos by Bill Murray and James Caan add to the fun.

As the ending credits roll, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry get credit as consultants on the picture. Clearly, their influence may be responsible for the real belly laughs that punctuated the many chuckles of the audience at my screening.

Genghis grows into menace in ‘Mongol’

If you like old-fashioned epics with lots of action and a touch of romance, then you need to see “Mongol.” A deserving Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee this year, it features breathtaking scenery, a haunting score and excellent acting.

Filmed as the first of a planned trilogy, the movie is pretty much “Genghis Khan — the Wonder Years.” We first see the legendary 12th-century warlord as a sober-faced 9-year-old named Temudgin, whose father takes him to choose a bride. The boy makes a fateful decision and chooses the charming young Borte, with the promise to return in five years.

Life is hard on the steppes of Mongolia, and Temudgin is constantly fighting to survive — he’s got more lives than a cat. Years pass, and he is finally able to return for Borte, but theirs is not a peaceful marriage. Betrayals, war, imprisonment and more war constantly keep them apart. Yet their devotion for each other stays constant.

As the adult Temudgin and Borte, Tadanobu Asano and Khulan Chuluun are outstanding and fulfill their roles with emotional intimacy and quiet strength.

Also noteworthy and providing some comedy relief is Temudgin’s blood brother Jamukha (Honglei Sun). Their bond is tested to the extreme when they become feared but respected adversaries.

The battle scenes are savage and awe-inspiring. “Mongol” takes you through so many events, it’s hard to imagine what more the upcoming two films could possibly add.

SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company. JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office.