Inspector Gadget 2
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Movie Reviews of Inspector Gadget 2
Movie Review: Why disney, why?
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie is good but if I were you, I would rather watch th original. Disney changed some things that they shouldn't have changed.
1. They changed the actors for almost every character. Mathew Broderick did a better job doing Gadget.
2. The effects are terrible! They were much better in the original.
3. Claw's claw looked so fake!
4. They didn't show Claw's face. I know that they never showed Claw's face in the cartoon, but they showed his face in the original!
I'm not saying that this movie is really bad, but they could hvae done a better job. If an Inspector gadget 3 comes out, I'm gonna think twice about watching it.
Movie Review: You say Inspector, I say Inspector - Let's call the whole thing off!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have hit an all-time low. I have rebooted my film lifestyle. Prior to watching "Inspector Gadget 2", I was willing and absolutely able to watching anything that came through the system. I was up for any low-budget feature, no matter what country of origin, I was up for good, the bad, and the ugly, AND I was even up for those direct-to-home features that make nearly every cineophile shudder. This was my life, up until about a week ago. I found myself trudging through both "Inspector Gadget" as well as the cartoon voiced by Don Adams, and the direct-to-Disney sequel, "Inspector Gadget 2". It was after this viewing that I eliminated all the upcoming films in my list, opened a fresh page, and started from scratch. I am going to begin (after I finish watching "The Longest Yard" remake and original) watching more classic, foreign, and contemporary independent films. I want to bring the level of control back and impress those with more of a knowledge than whom was a better Inspector Gadget, Mathew Broderick or French Stewart - alas, friends, I do know the answer to that, and I am not proud enough to shout it on the highest mountain. It is embarrassing that I have to nominate one "Inspector Gadget" film over the other, but a critics work is never done. I have no favorite when it comes to this franchise, I have no favorite when it comes to stories that completely demolish the structure of the cartoon of which it is based. In closing, I have no favorite at all when you have two films that are only connected by the titles they share.
"Inspector Gadget 2" is possibly one of the worst sequels to dawn the direct-to-DVD call tag at the bottom of the box. Using nothings from the original film (not the same characters, not the same style, not the same comic timing), this film is one that you have to watch alone, not standing right next to the original Broderick vehicle. French Stewart (he is always squinting ... why?), with the aid of director Alex Zamm try to bring the original concept back the the series without any known budget. Stewart brings a new Inspector to the film, a more arrogant, snobbish, seems to be tormented by life, protagonist that cares nothing for those surrounding him. He is a character that we cannot love, no matter how many times we have to sit through one viewing of this film. What is interesting about Stewart is that he is actually closer to the the animated Gadget than the original. Zamm also tries to create a Dr. Claw that is closer to the original - but the trouble occurs with the fact that the two share very little screen time and thus there is no real chemistry between the two. Claw used to always monitor Gadget's doings, in this one, there seems to be a haphazard care as to what either is doing. Penny still doesn't have her book and Brain still isn't getting anyone out of trouble. Where is the consistency here? Too add to the mix, we are introduced to a new character "G2", the newest upgrade to the Gadget line. Like anything this riddled with clichés, there is an initial problem with the two of them, but eventually a spark misfires and Gadget is introduced to yet another love interest. Considering the problems anatomically with this couple, there is no further spark between them. The only reason the two are put in a this film are to be together, not for any other purpose. There is no sense of individualism, just flimsy cause followed by an effect that could have been predicted before the opening credits ended.
"Inspector Gadget 2" has not seen the best reviews, nor will it get a good one from me - it tried, but ultimately it failed. There was no purpose to create this erroneous sequel. Disney was hoping to cash in on the Broderick fan base, the younger generation that knows no better , or just to make some extra dollars to pad their bottom line, but there was no reason to resurrect this already problematic series. I hated Elaine Hendrix's mesh between "Robocop" and "Judge Dredd". She was funny at parts that were not meant to be funny, and chokingly bad at parts that were meant to draw sympathy from the audience. Perhaps it was the writing, or the campy way that it was filmed, or the cheesy ploy to get audiences to laugh, but this sequel just left me out to dry. If I had to speak positively about this film in any way, I would have to comment on the CGI which did improve a bit with this lower-budget film. I thought the idea of "freezing-time" was a fun concept equal to what Claw would do, but again, we seemed to lack the spunk and originality of the cartoon. I would never consider this franchise a remake of the cartoon, but instead their own unoriginal spin-off.
I blame Disney a bit for this film because cutting corners and cost is not an excuse for making poor films. If Broderick or even the horrid Everett could not reprise their roles for this sequel, it should have just stopped there. Don't push a circular peg into a square hole, but instead we continued to push and found cheap replacements for the original. This is a very kid friendly moment that if I were 3, would probably find visually entertaining, but from a company that prides itself on making Oscar-worthy animation, I expect a higher level of distrobution. French Stewart should stop working while he still is remembered for his humorous work on "Third Rock from the Sun", while the rest of this cast shouldn't even bother with another feature. I think it is bad enough that they couldn't even get Cheri Oteri back, cause, you know, she's expensive.
Overall, I have to say that "Inspector Gadget 2" is a blunderment of a film, and the one star review that I am giving it is generous. There is no need for these types of films to enter into mainstream cinema. It dulls the senses for those hoping to find engrossing cinema out there, and proves that a mind isn't necessary to watch French in action. As a cinematic community, we have to put a stop to this. Zamm attempted to retain some of the originality of the cartoon, but couldn't compile a cast good enough to bring the humor, form, grace, and talent of the animated series to light. There was no chemistry between anyone, and when the clichés began to cause a horrid avalanche, I was caught with nowhere to hide. As I attempt to think of another film that likens to how poor this film was, nothing comes to mind. So, with that said, I have restarted. You will see me soon reviewing better films where my mind can be used, instead of trash like this were jell-o sliding on a stick would be more entertaining. If I had to end with a thought in mind, it would be this - Claw never showed his face, this can be learned from watching the pilot "Inspector Gadget" where he had a mustache, so you shouldn't be able to see his face in the films. It is simple. It would be like creating the Smurfs live-action where they were a shade of orange instead of blue. You just don't do it. So, when it comes to this film - just don't do it. You will be happier, and no so bitter like myself.
Grade: * out of *****
Movie Review: Oh, the humanity... er, cyborgity!
Summary: 1 Stars
A little known tidbit about the history of Philadelphia: Channel 48, once known under the call letters WKBS, liquidated their assets in 1983 due to increasing problems with their transmitter lease. The station signed off on August 29 -- but not before going out with a bang. Using the last of their resources, their final half-hour was used to broadcast the first episode of a never-before-seen cartoon, one that would serve to change, in it's own small way, the cultural landscape of America.That cartoon was Inspector Gadget. (Incidentally, a Google search of the program's airdates lists the earliest known broadcast of the series as September 5, 1983. Channel 48 may not have bothered to log it's final program to the FCC -- but trust me, I was there. They had it first.)
The continuing adventures of the bumbling cybernetic detective hold a special place in my heart because of this strange and fateful day. Channel 48 was a beloved station -- for many of my school years they broadcast Pink Panther for two hours every day(!) as well as such wonderous cult 'toons as Tenessee Tuxedo. It was a crushing blow to my young heart to bid farewell to that old, treasured friend, but their maverick decision to end with the very first broadcast of Gadget was an fond, fitting tribute.
I watched Gadget on Channel 17, who picked it up the following year, religiously. Often I would rush home from school, determined not to miss the antics of the robotic constable, the case-cracking skills of his behind-the-scenes niece Penny and her dog Brain, and the sinister growl of the menacing Doctor Claw: "I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, GADGET!"
So it was with a deep and abiding love that, when I spotted this film on the used DVD rack at my local record shop, I gladly forked over the twelve bucks to revisit my childhood one last time.
But instead, I ended up feeling like my inner child had been spanked and sent to bed without dinner. Dear Lord, this movie is terrible. Really, truly, terrible. Not a single redeeming quality about it. French Stewart may be the worst comedic actor known to humanity, accurately desribed by a friend of mine as "Like Kramer from Seinfeld, except not funny" -- I honestly think Carrot Top would have been a better choice, and I HATE Carrot Top. And though Eliane Hendrix provides that safe Disney level of mildly enticing sex appeal, her patently robotic acting is only barely forgiven by the fact that, well, she's LITERALLY playing a robot. And that incessantly unfunny car! Can we please have a modern comedy which doesn't try to infect some form of satirically cliched, urbanized Chris Rock Lite stupidity into it? Tupac is rolling over in his grave right now!
It's terrible. Disney has once again ruined the beloved characters of literary history, as they did with Hercules, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Little Mermaid. Maybe I'm reaching a little there by putting Gadget in such notable, royal company, but if in my passion I take such liberties, I beg you all to forgive me my indulgence -- certainly it's not nearly as insulting as the liberty that Eisner and company have taken in turning our favorite stories into Technicolored tripe.
Movie Review: Depressing.
Summary: 1 Stars
Let's start with the film itself. Watching it gives you this dirty, dirty feeling that smoking a pack of Parliaments three years after having quit does. However, the cigarettes are cheaper and at least placate your vestigal addiction. The only thing 'Inspector Gadget 2' will placate is a souless, creatively hollow child who has been raised on nothing but american cheese and Pop-Tarts. This is why the movie did so well with American audiences under 12. As for quality, sure, the special effects are there, but they're par for the course and nothing your kids haven't already seen. The acting is as one-dimensional as unassembeled IKEA furniture, and is of similar quality as well. Elaine Hendrix (G2), who plays a vicious, condescending shrew better than anyone else (Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, The Parent Trap), screams for help and tries to do something with the role, but quickly realizes she can't. French Stewart whores himself out to the film's inaneness with a zeal that poor Ms. Hendrix is much too civilized to mimick.I'm sorry, maybe I'm just missing the point. But why would we ever subject our young to such an atrocious movie? I sincerely question the capabilities of any parent who would recommend this movie. Before all you minivan mothers out there bite me, keep in mind that it is not necessary to insult your child's intelligence for he or she to have a good time. If you insist on commenting how smart and how articulate your own 50-pound meatloaf is, at least do them justice and show them something fun that doesn't bite them back. At least 'Beauty and the Beast' doesn't have any product placement. Or even the original cartoon show, 'Inspector Gadget', which was not nearly as bad as the cinematic holocaust this movie turned our to be.
Movie Review: not good
Summary: 1 Stars
this frankly smelled... but it would've been ok under a few conditions. (and not to mention consistent with the first one)1) inspector gagdet should have been played by matthew broderick, in my opinion, he was and always will be the perfect gadget.
2) they should have had the lady whose father created him in the first movie, ig was supposed to fall in love with her, but they conpletely left her out in this movie!!!!
3) the special effects are TERRIBLE!!!!!!
4) dr. claw really bothered me in this one...
in short, ladies and gentlemen, this is, yet again, proof of how really desperate disney is.