Dad's Army is one of those adorable, "old guys still got it" movies that comes out every once in a while, sprinkled in among the "let's make fun of old people" movies that are never any good. Starring Bill Nighy, Toby Jones, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay, and Bill Paterson, a group of over-the-hill volunteers is in charge of protecting their town during WWII. No one really takes them seriously, and when Catherine Zeta-Jones shows up and starts charming everyone in the regiment, that doesn't make them any more credible.This is a very cute movie and has plenty of classic British gags, if you like that type of humor. If you usually groan and try to avoid British humor-and if you prefer your leading men to be under fifty-you probably won't like this one. I thought it was adorable, and I always find Bill Nighy dashing, no matter what age he is. Plus, when you least expect it, you get to watch a very exciting and suspenseful battle scene!

I wanted to like 'Dads' Army'. I really did. It features some of my favourite British character actors, and brings to the big screen one of my favourite TV shows. Unfortunately, it's awful from start to finish. The slapstick is over-done and unsubtly telegraphed, the pacing uneven (verging on the near comatose, at times), the cinematography unimaginative, and – unforgivably, given the wealth of material they had as inspiration – the script is unbearably weak. Bill Nighy and Tom Courtney look unutterably bored, and Bill Paterson barely seems to have noticed that the camera is rolling. Michael Gambon and Toby Jones are clearly trying to make the best of a bad job, but they are aping the characterisations and physical mannerisms of Ridley and Lowe...and I expect better - MUCH better - from actors of their calibre. Awful. If they upped the pace and spent less time trying to add needless detail to the characters' back-stories (did we, for example, really NEED to see the good Captain's wife? – she had much more comic worth as an off-screen gorgon!) it might have been bearable. It isn't.Stupid boys!

So its not a Dads Army movie as the original Dads army cast are (mostly) gone, so rope in some similar looking (all very good actors in their own right) people and then string a plot together. This is just toilet, it does not do the original series justice, it does not stand up as a film it its own right and it does not do any of the actors any credit. They try very hard, all of the stunts and comedy scenes are forced, the plot is so thin it would have been reject ted by the original series. Sorry but its a waste of everyone's talent and goes to show some TV series need to remain as historic TV series trying to reinvent does not always work, if can watch this for free then do - but please do not pay anything for it there are much better movies out there for your collection.

Given that the BBC sitcom Dad's Army is still so revered after all these decades means that any film adaptation with almost an all new cast will be on a hiding to nothing.The film still has the upside down focus between Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson. The former a fastidious Little Englander bank manager. The latter, a more urbane and charming public school educated subordinate as well as a womaniser.The plot involves the Nazi's sending a secret spy to Walmington on Sea to discover the Allies D-Day plans. She is Catherine Zeta Jones masquerading as a glamorous journalist claiming to write a feature on the Home Guard. She charms most of the men in the town particularly Sgt Wilson who she knows from her days at University.The film introduces more female characters including Mrs Mainwaring and Private Godfrey's sisters who play a pivotal role in unmasking the spy.There are some inspired scenes where Mainwaring gets mistaken for Winston Churchill. I admit to being surprised to see Frank William's pop up again as the Vicar and Ian Lavender also turns up playing a different character.Toby Jones does well as Mainwaring maybe channelling Arthur Lowe. Bill Nighy comes off even more posh than John Le Mesurier and I felt that his character did not even belong as Mainwaring's number two.Tom Courtenay was underwhelming as Jones, Michael Gambon was spot on as Godfrey.The character's go through the popular catchphrases and even the theme tune turns up several times but the retread is just too workmanlike and lacked imagination.The film was too uneven, as a gentle comedy it was fine but at times it strays into smutty farce which is more Carry On especially in the scene where Fraser moons at the Nazis.