Inspector Gadget [DVD] [1999]

 

 

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Adults will rember the cartoon series, this is not it. Disney has made a live action film that most adults will not care for, but if you are in your early teens or younger (8+) then you will find the film a fun time to watch. The effects are good but the best is the gadget mobile (the best thing in the film) and worth watching for that alone.

I remember going to see this movie as a kid, I did enjoy it because I was not really aware of the original 80s cartoon. After become a fan of the original Inspector Gadget later on, I watched the film again. Seeing it through my eyes now, it is a pretty poor film. Sure, children should enjoy it but any longtime fan of IG will feel the movie as a affront.

The film's big problem is that is hardly in the least faithful to the television series. It does have quite a lot of cartoony elements in it but that is as far as it goes. Dr. Claw is unrecognizable. He is not even called Dr. Claw. He is called something like Scholex or something like that. Part of the idea of the character is that his face was always hidden but here, we see Rupert Everett's face all the time! It is not even attempting to bring the original villain to the big screen. Plus, in the cartoon, he didn't even have a proper claw.

Matthew Broderick as the Inspector, will I do think Broderick is a good actor, seems hopelessly miscasted. His character didn't have any Don Adams effect at all, his character was surprising bland and he didn't even say his catchprase "Wowsers" properly. Penny is now a early teen with brown hair and not the 10 year old with blond pigtails from the original while she also calls her uncle "Uncle John" instead of "Uncle Gadget". Brain is another missed oppertunity. Why is he played by a real dog? Brain almost played as big a part as Gadget in the cartoon, with his following around and disguises, wouldn't it had been better to have him done by a CGI character like Scooby-Doo? That would have been better. And also, the Gadgetmobile takes up most of the spotlight by giving him a talking computer engine. Why oh why does Gadgetmobile now talk? I never understand why the need to? I was the same in Inspector Gadget's Last Case, fans like it as a car that change vice versa to van/police car. Also, his voice sounded like an Aladdin's genie knock-off with lame jokes and pop culture comments.

Chief Quimby is present but is not working for Interpol but is just a regular police chief. Getting on to the other characters, Brenda Bradford is an okay inclusion but most of Joely Fisher's performance here is quite uninsipired. Mostly, just being like a damstal in distress for a lot of the movie. And did I forget to tell you that they are no MAD agents, not one. There is not an mention of the organization in the cartoon series that wanted to destroy Gadget! All we get is an wimpy scienctist, a bumbling fat minion and an Inspector Gadget clone who runs amok.

The film itself has a kid-friendly story which should keep their eyeballs on the action but for any adult present with them, it is very boring. The plot persists of mostly a moving foot that Brenda's dad invents for what I can remember and Claw steals it. Gadget then has locate the villains before he uses Brenda's dad ideas against the public or something like that. The effects are simple cartoonish and most the gags are one-liners. Two saving graces are the use of the original cartoon theme song and Don Adams's short cameo as the voice of Brain at the end.

Overall, this movie was very naff but it is not completely dire. Kids will get a kick out of it for sure and there is some things in the film that work like the chases and the fight between the two Gadgets on the bridge, which was mildly amusing. But if you are a fan of the cartoon, you are better sticking with that. I only wished that the film stay more true to the original, it would have been much better.

Our school film club thought that this was a brilliant film and we would recommend it to 7-12 year olds.
We enjoyed most of the film but some bits were better than others. We all agreed that the special effects made the film memorible.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Expecting More?
Inspector Gadget was released in 1999 and is based on the cartoon of the same title. It was directed by David Kellogg and stars Matthew Broderick as Inspector Gadget, and Michelle... Read more

Published on 10 Sep 2006 by Andrew Kerr

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality!!!
Not very much like the cartoon (which I thought was very funny as a kid) but this is a good film. Mathew Broderick is a very funny man and played "Inspector Gadget" very... Read more

Published on 2 Dec 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Brilliant film!
When I went to see it for my birthday me and my friends really enjoyed it we wanted to see it again and again it was so good. Read more

Published on 4 Oct 2000

3.0 out of 5 stars A special FX laden Disney movie
From the very beginning, anyone can see that this movie is not going to be all together serious. Matthew Broderick is officer John Brown who is transformed into a kid's robocop... Read more

Published on 6 Sep 2000 by gross@tesco.net

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