Go Go `Gadget' Fun by Homer Yen (1999)
Perhaps you might be familiar with a campy 60s TV show called Get Smart, which featured a bumbling agent that always thwarted the forces of evil even though he couldn't find a clue if it came up and hit him in the face. You might also be familiar with an equally campy 70s TV show called the Six Million Dollar Man, which featured a man barely alive who was rebuilt to be faster…stronger…better. And of course we're all familiar with the people at Disney, who possess a talent to bring us good family fare full of wacky creativity. Blend these three elements together and you get 80 minutes of grins in Disney's `Inspector Gadget.'
Inspector Gadget is actually John Brown (Matthew Broderick), a mild-mannered security guard that almost loses his life during a robbery. In the accident, his body has suffered irreparable damage. But thanks to some groundbreaking work by scientist Brenda (Joely Fisher), John can benefit from a new procedure that blends flesh with technology. On the operating table as they try to save his life, they wheel in the entire inventory of the local Home Depot, from springs to pipes to hoses. When John wakes up, he learns that he is now the new generation of law enforcement. All he has to say is ‘go go gadget' something, and voila – it pops out. This man is the ultimate Swiss pocketknife. His thumb is a lighter, his ear is a sound amplifier, and his legs turn into huge metal stilts that allow him to leapfrog through traffic at an amazing speed. When he wants to scale a building, ‘go go gadget grappling hook.' And when he needs to get somewhere across town, 'go go gadget copter.' I found these scenes inventive and cute, although kids would probably appreciate the gee-whiz gadgetry more than I did.
The acerbic police chief Quimby (Dabney Coleman) is not thrilled with having an experimental cybercop, quipping that Inspector Gadget is Columbo and Nintendo all rolled into one. But this new inspector catches the eye of the magnate, Mr. Scolex/Dr. Claw (Rupert Everett). He wants to steal the technology to build his own legion of warriors. Scolex is the kind of cartoonish bad guy that says mean things accompanied by mean-sounding music in the background. After all, this is Disney.
This live-action film was inspired from the cartoon of the same name from the 80's. I was mildly interested in the cartoon and probably came away with a similarly lukewarm feeling after I saw the movie. There isn't much bite to this movie, although the movie has its tender moments. Nonetheless, I did enjoy Broderick's appropriately frumpy performance and I thought that the movie paced itself very well to keep me from slipping into a mode of boredom. I also liked the Gadgetmobile, which is a convertible that puts the Knight Rider (another 80s show) car to shame. Among the many cool things that this car can do, perhaps the coolest is the built-in soda and candy dispenser for the weary passenger in need of a snack. But the funniest scene happens during the end credits. One of Scolex's evil henchman wants to mend his ways and attends a meeting of the Minion Support Group. In this group, you'll find Oddjob and Jaws from a few James Bond flicks and a few other memorable, evil sidekicks.
Grade: B- for adults; B for children
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