Disney just can't seem to get enough of remakes, and Inspector Gadget is their latest incarnation: a live-action retooling of the popular eighties cartoon.
John Brown (Matthew Broderick) is the likeable but bumbling hero that longs to do some real good as a real cop, but, because of his innate ineptness, he only serves as a security guard at a science lab. The resident scientists are a father-and-daughter team who have just created a computer chip that will enable the incredible pairing of human flesh with cybernetic technology. When their lab is robbed by robots sent by corporate crook Sanford Scolex (Rupert Everett), the father is killed, and John Brown humorously attempts to apprehend the bad guys. Brown is not only unsuccessful but ends up hospitalized in critical condition. The daughter, Brenda (Joely Fisher), determines that Brown is the best candidate to continue her deceased father's cyborg work, and she turns him into "ultimate crime fighting machine" Inspector Gadget. At this point real zaniness abounds.
Now more machine than man, Brown/Gadget is internally equipped with more gizmos than a dozen James Bond films, but not much more in the brain department. Through the magic of CGI, he unlocks cars with his finger, spurts gooey blue toothpaste from his arm, and demonstrates an array of other amusing robotic functions like a telescoping neck. Despite all his nifty, new doodads, he is even more clumsy than he was before. The movie's musical interludes and sound effects are excellent, diverse, and often humorous, and various whirring and ticking noises help reinforce Broderick's performance as the Inspector. The film's heightened, slapstick tone also helps.
Fulfilling his life-long dream, Brown then goes to work for the police department, but is relegated to rescuing cats from trees. In a series of haphazard, unbelievable adventures, he is later pitted against his arch enemy Claw (also played by Everett), and an evil look-alike, RoboGadget (also played by Broderick with shiny teeth), bent on impersonating him to destroy his good reputation. RoboGadget has gleefully set half the city on fire--and must be stopped at all costs, of course. We know he will be, and the movie becomes more and more incredible and outlandish as it reaches its fanciful conclusion.
There are plenty of contrasts to the cartoon that are already bristling diehard fans. Rupert Everett gives a face to the role of Claw, the formerly faceless enemy. Even though Everett appears to be enjoying himself a great deal in this silly, hammy role, the audience could afford to enjoy him a bit more than they do. His minions, Kramer (Andy Dick) and Sikes (Michael G. Hagerty), have more fun. Penny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Brain the dog are relegated to bit parts in this story, whereas they are the ones that actually solve the crimes in the cartoon version. The movie's overall tone is actually goofier and less credible than the cartoon as well. Otherwise, there are plenty of comparisons, including distinctive, must-see gadgets like the Inspector's helicopter hat and stilt legs.
Broderick, as both the star and his evil nemesis, plays closer to the charm he demonstrated in movies like Ferris Bueller's Day Off than in recent fare like Election. His animated turn as the title character is passable and enjoyable for light kiddie fare, with moments of delightful whimsy when he doesn't appear lost in the doohickeys and lunacy. Unfortunately, the plot never seems grounded enough to give Broderick a chance to do more than wink and smile. But going way over the top in the RoboGadget role must have been fun. On the other hand, Gadget's sidekick, the talking Gadgetmobile, is supposed to be funny but is only grating.
An early film trailer included suggestive scenes of sexual innuendo that have either been cut from the film's final version or are only alluded to briefly and unassumingly. Although some attempts were made to appeal to both children and their parents, the movie has come down definitively on the kids' side and lacks enough substance to be of much interest to adults. Featuring a decent, respectable hero that chooses to do the right thing against forces of evil that are not in the least bit scary, this movie is both safe and recommended for even younger ages. Only a handful of questionable words and one scatological moment might mar parental approval.
A marketing dream, Inspector Gadget is likely to be a load of distracting fun for the very young, but unfortunately will not inspire much more than a lot of Go Going to the toy store and McDonalds for the tie-ins. If you are looking for quality entertainment to share with youngsters, you're better off to go go to Tarzan.
Steven S. Baldwin 8/4/99
