Inspector Gadget
Directed by David Kellog
Starring Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joley Fisher, Michelle Trachtenberg, Dabney Coleman, and the voice of D.L. Hugley.
When I heard they were doing a live-action Inspector Gadget, I got so jazzed. I grew up with the cartoon, so I knew that if done right, this would rock. Even though some of the casting choices caught me off guard, I was still jazzed. I finally saw it. Am I still jazzed? Read on.
The plot, in 300 words or less. John Brown (Broderick) is a security guard at a research lab, and he has a little crush on the roboticist Dr. Brenda Bradford (Fisher). When Dr. Bradford’s father is killed one night by the evil Sanford Scolex (Everett), Brown vows to catch the killer. But, Scolex blows up Brown, and Brown crushes Scolex’s hand. So, Dr. Bradford uses her latest technology to re-build Brown into Inspector Gadget. Scolex replaces his hand with a metal claw, and takes on the name Claw. Gadget soon joins the police force, but gets frustrated when Chief Quimby (Coleman) won’t give Gadget real police work. So, Gadget goes against orders and begins investigating the murder he vowed he’d solve. Meanwhile, Claw decides to build an evil RoboGadget to wreak havoc on Riverton! Can Gadget stop his evil double and save Brenda from Claw? Well, he’ll need the help of his niece Penny (Trachtenberg), his dog Brain, and his talking Gadgetmobile (Hugley).
I hate to say it, but this movie is one huge missed opportunity. They didn’t do it right. They took a few deviations from the cartoon that weren’t needed. Gadget’s thought bubbles are too annoying, and why did the Gadgetmobile talk? All in all, it did not live up to its potential. But still, the effects bringing Gadget to life are impressive, and it’s almost worth it to see Fisher in a purple latex outfit. (You see, Claw also builds a RoboBrenda to be his “plaything,” and she wears a purple latex outfit. I’ve got my new obsession of the month!)