sohogenerous

Wow, there are a lot of bad votes for this movie here. I thought it was great. It's a Will Smith / Barry Sonnenfeld movie. You can't take it seriously. The humor is perfectly subtle and dry at times, and over the top at others. The storyline is only there to give opportunities for the jokes.
If you want a serious western, try The Magnificent Seven (or the original, 7 Samurai), Hombre, or some other classic. If you want a light-hearted evening, rent this. Probably don't buy it, but rent it.
For some reason it says that my review has to be more than 10 lines, so I'm throwing this in to make it work. Really a review for a movie like this doesn't need to be this long, but I guess I'll just comply.

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`Wild Wild West' joins an increasingly long list of big bloated blockbusters, movies made for no possible reason beyond grabbing a quick summer buck yet which, ironically, by their very cynical and slapdash nature, utterly fail to connect with even the least demanding of audiences. The result is a multi-multi-million dollar debacle that leaves studios searching for answers and audiences shell-shocked into seeking out their entertainment along the more audacious pathway of off-Hollywood, independent filmmaking – the single positive outcome of these dull, empty enterprises.
`Wild Wild West,' like so many films before it, looks to the relics of television's bygone era for inspiration – as sad a comment as any on the dismal state of current movie creativity. As one not familiar with the original series, I cannot say what justice, or lack of justice, this homage does to its source. What is evident, judging from the results on screen, is that `Wild Wild West' is, as with most current blockbusters, top-heavy with special effects and as weak in the nether limbs as its legless villain. Straight Westerns being hopelessly out of fashion, especially for a special effects-driven summertime extravaganza, the filmmakers obviously felt that what was needed was a tongue-in-cheek approach to the material, resulting in a bizarre, but completely unfunny amalgam of fantasy and science-fiction gilded onto a Western format. The disparate styles simply fight against each other, leaving no one in the audience - neither Western nor science-fiction fans - satisfied.
The alleged plot involves the attempts by James West (Will Smith) and Artemis Gordon (Kevin Kline) to foil an evil Confederate inventor's plan to kidnap all the world's most brilliant scientists and, ultimately, terrorize the Union and President Grant into submission. This he attempts to do by creating a giant mechanized spider which is, obviously, a last ditch, desperate attempt on the part of the filmmakers to fulfill the seemingly insatiable demands of the modern audience to be dazzled by impressive special effects, no matter how inappropriate they appear in context. Here, though, the miscalculation is fatal because even the audience is wise enough to know when it is being had. Kline and Smith never achieve a palpable rapport despite the usual abundance of lame wise cracks and sarcastic asides designed to make them `hip' and `trendy' – two qualities incongruous to the setting, which again shows the lack of real commitment to the spirit of the project. There is exactly one clever moment in the film – an astonishingly creative homage to the old RCA logo – that hints at what might have been had the moviemakers been willing to really let loose their anarchic imaginations and aimed for something truly sophisticated rather than simply pasting together a series of confused, poorly written blackout sketches.
Incidentally, even some of the expensive special effects come across as surprisingly crude, especially many of the shots utilizing rear-screen projection. Hence, this film strikes out even in the one ballpark in which it might have stood a chance of emerging victorious.

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I won't add more insults -- others here have done that well enough. This movie is godawful. But I will point out two areas that seem to be staples of bad movie remakes of beloved old TV shows. First, how about getting someone to write/direct that actually liked and understood the original? That person would understand that the West-Gordon relationship was the core. In a sense, West and Gordon complimented each other to make a slick, functional crime-fighting machine: West handled the action and romance, and Gordon took care of the thinking, deception, and humor (disguises). This was a well-used TV convention -- think the Kirk-Spock-McCoy triad in Star Trek, or the great contrasty chemistry between Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy. Add a lovable villain to the mix (not an offensive atrocity like the film-Loveless) and you've got a crazy, tongue-in-cheek action classic. The filmmakers here seemingly did not know or care about the fundamentals of the original show. Not that this is necessarily a problem, but then why bother resurrecting the premise in the first place? Why not just make Will Smith a different wild west troubleshooter? The Mission Impossible franchise has the same problem.
Second, why all the emphasis on showing the principals getting to know each other? I know -- because it eats up 30% of the script, and creates conflict. But the conflict should be between West and the villain. Jim and Artie should just BE. The TV show didn't bother explaining how West met and knew Gordon, any more than Barney Miller, Mission Impossible, or 24 found it necessary to have all the main characters meet and learn to work together. They were a team with a job to do. Audiences understand this concept; having a trumped-up plot about how the heroes meet and overcome their differences is a hackneyed device that only exposes the script weaknesses present. See the film version of Dragnet (a better film, though) for another example of this unfortunate trend.
Finally, a comment on the 'race' issue. Inserting content that justifies Smith-West's skin color is no more necessary than explaining Henry V's skin color when Laurence Fishburne or Andre Braugher play him on stage. Indeed, ignoring Smith's race in a movie like this one would help us all look past such issues. If a blond actor had portrayed West, nobody would have suggested a plot that explains his Norwegian background! He just would have been West, and that would be that. But color-blind casting requires courage, and could conceivably cut into the film's bottom line. So, not in this spineless script.
I seldom get mad at movies I don't like. Even The Avengers didn't anger me, though it was possibly even worse than this one. This one ticked me off REAL good. Buy the original series on DVD instead, and see how it's done right.

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It's that time of year. The time when Hollywood trots out it's worst of the summer. You know the drill. There's a 'Godzilla' every year, somebody has to be it. 'Wild Wild West' clenches the title hands down this summer, and we still have eight weeks to go!
The Will Smith phenomenon has now entered it's third phase: overwhelming ego project. Teaming with his 'Men In Black' director Barry Sonnenfeld, Smith has finally teetered over the edge and released an outright mess. A film that will hang in the halls of all time bad event flicks. Should we blame Smith? I think so. 'Men In Black' and 'Independence Day' were gigantic hits, they even call the 4th of July 'Big Willie Weekend' due to these successes. I submit that these films were hits due to the films themselves, the writing, acting, directing, and not just because of Smith. 'West' is finally the film that rests on Smith's comedic shoulders alone. The truth shines through clearly. Not everything Will Smith does is funny.
Based in the television show running from 1965-1970, the simple plot tells the tale of a Civil War era federal marshal James West (Smith), who must team up with a weapons expert (Kevin Kline, at his most painfully unfunny) to thwart the evil plans of the villain, and legless, Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh). Along for the ride is a giant mechanical tarantula, President Grant, and the stunning, gorgeous, lovely, and just plain old hot Salma Hayek. The plot is just a simple excuse to push the characters through endless scenes that give birth to no laughs at all. Scenes that make the audience gringe with fear, as if something wrong is with them. Fear not my good people, these are professionals up on screen, and they blew it.
The screenplay, credited to FOUR writers, has the damnedest time to make any of the jokes funny. You would not believe just how far the cast goes to make this limp material work. It's embarrassing to watch, and even more embarrassing for the actors. There is not one funny moment in the film, not even a courtesy laugh for the attempt. Dead silence. I also disapprove of the attempt to squeeze racial jokes into the mix. Yes, Will Smith is African-American, but do we need to call attention to it every five minutes? The movie would've been better served had it left the race issue alone and just played up the potential fun of the concept.
Will Smith is simply miscast as the hero. He's an amiable actor who's proven himself with stronger material. This film clearly shows just how paper thin the Smith charm can be. While Kevin Kline tries but fails as well, it's really Hayek's role that's a mystery. She's barely in the film, and when her character is explained, you come to realize that she's not apart of the story at all. Hayek has always been a fun performer with winning personality. All this movie asks of her is to be the butt (literally) of a few jokes and keep the cleavage coming. A shameful waste of talent.
Director Sonnenfeld has also been at the helm of better pictures ('Get Shorty'), but for some reason I have yet to see a truly great film directed by him. There always seems to be a spark missing from the action, like a better, funnier film was in there somewhere but he can't find it. Relying in great amounts on special effects and the considerable use of easy-to-spot green screen shots, the typical Sonnenfeld camera work is either buried under all the mayhem or just not inventive when the attempt is actually made. This is a very top-heavy production with little chance to breathe. But Sonnenfeld made this choice, he must be held accountable for it.
The movie has been through many edits, and this shows with wildly out of tune continuity and many unexplained plot twists. Also grating on the brain is Elmer Bernstein's annoying and featherweight musical score. While we have Warner Brothers shamefully trotting out it's 'We pray it's as big as the 'Men In Black' Will Smith rap tune, Bernstein provides a flat score that serves no purpose to enliven the film. The cinematography is also without color, and the catering probably sucked too.
'Wild Wild West' is the product of zero imagination. A lifeless summer film that seems to stick out even more in this unusually good movie season. I am always wary of comic westerns, and this film seals that envelope. If this is what 160 million buys you? I'll take the 3 million 'South Park' any day.------------ 0

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Back in the 60s, The Wild, Wild West, staring Robert Conrad and Russ Martin was one of the best shows of it's time, a interesting mixture of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gadget Spy films, and light hearted satire. A favorite of mine, I've long enjoyed the show. So naturally, I was looking forward to the big screen adaption, even though it did star Will Smith (Sorry, Will, but you're no Robert Conrad.)
The movie had all the ingredients needed to make a good film: An excellent cast (Kevin Klein, Ken Branaugh, Selma Hayek, even Smith,) an excellent, proven director in Barry Sonnefeld, and a proven genre.. Rather, it had all the ingredients that it needed except one.. It had the worst script possible.
I've always been wary of any project that was written by committee, and this film is one project that proves why. The excellent cast, crew, and effects of this film were wasted on one of the worst screenplays I've ever seen. The clever (if pulp inspired) stories of the original series are replaced by tepid attempts at comedy which even Smith, who normally is very funny, can't pull off. Kenneth Branaugh succeeds at nothing other than managing to eat the scenery, unable to do anything else, since his lines are so bad. Klein is saddled with the role of Smith's straight man, something that he's just too damn funny to be. As for the effects, like I said, they were spectacular, but the problem is that they seem to be the 'be all and end all' of the movie, instead of working for the story (such as there was in this case.) The simple fact is that they overpower the film.
I guess, if you are a die hard Will Smith fan who has never seen the original series, you might like this one. But for fans of the old series, avoid it, and watch reruns, or else one of the two other shows in the genre, 'Legend' or 'The Adventures of Brisco County Junior.'

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Buried in this god-awful disaster of a movie is a germ of an inkling of an iota of a great idea. It is not the idea of making a big blockbuster out of the great old 1960s TV show 'The Wild Wild West,' an idea which can, at best, be described as tiresomely uninspired. Nor is there brilliance in transforming the image of the lead character just so that they could build the role around star-of-the-moment Will Smith. But out of that horribly perverse example of Hollywood commercial packaging there is an intriguing premise, which naturally seems to have slipped past all involved without a second glance. What if the best, brightest and most intrepid government agent working in post-Civil War America was, indeed, a black man? Realistically, how would an African-American, functioning in a repressive, racist society, where even the most liberal thinker would see him as a second-class citizen, indeed, a second class human being, be able to not only outsmart the bad guys, but to impress even the skeptical good guys? It is an intriguing idea because, on the one hand, such an agent would not be suspected of being a threat and, on the other hand, he would have to overcome so many more barriers than a white man would ever face. He would be both invisible and yet stand out like the proverbial sore thumb just about anywhere he went. He'd be constantly fighting two battles. Such a film could be thrilling and funny, yet something rare: original.
'The Wild Wild West' TV show itself was all those things: it was highly derivative of both the traditional western and the then-fresh James Bond-style spy movie -- with more than a little bit of Batman-style comic book campiness kicked in -- yet it was ingenious in the way it melded those mythic genres into a one-of-a-kind series. There was never anything quite like 'The Wild Wild West' and never anything since -- including this disastrous 1997 movie.
Everything about WILD WILD WEST, the movie, is just plain bad: tacky special effects; clumsy direction; an embarrassing screenplay; plus a fine, bewildered cast wasted in totally unworkable roles. But as bad as everything else is, the base rot of WWW goes directly to its reworked premise. No matter how open minded one might be, or how much one prides oneself on being socially color blind, there is just no way to honestly accept replacing Robert Conrad, TV's James West, with Will Smith. The time and the place dictate that James West be a white male -- unless, the filmmakers acknowledge and embrace the incongruity and use it for a real purpose.
Yet, the filmmakers want it both ways: the audience is expected to be able to ignore Smith's skin color, while at the same time the entire plot is based on his confrontation with a white racist trying to reestablish Confederate power and seize control of the U.S. government. How can you respect or believe in a film or filmmakers that get all preachy about the evils of racism while all along dealing with the issue with absolutely no respect for historical honesty? It is not clear if having Smith play James West as a cocky, street smart, John Shaft-style character was intended to be a joke, social commentary or just absurd politically correct pandering to black audiences, but it is clear that it does not work. The most outrageously unbelievable thing about WILD WILD WEST is not the wildly improbable sci-fi inventions but that the Smith character actually makes it to the end of the film without being lynched. It's not that the anachronism of a cocksure 20th century black man confronting 19th century bigotry isn't workable, because that very time-warp racial comedy had already been done with much greater success in the Mel Brooks classic, BLAZING SADDLES. Unlike WWW, Brooks and company realized the sheer idiocy of the premise, yet used that to mock both the black and the white stereotypes with equal glee.
Where BLAZING SADDLES is an honest farce, WILD WILD WEST is dishonest and cowardly. All involved probably thought they were being pretty daring by flaunting convention and hiring Smith, but they did not hire Will Smith the African American, they hired Will Smith the action hero movie star. They built WILD WILD WEST around Smith's race, but only to exploit his contemporary Hollywood image, even to the point of letting him create and perform a totally inappropriate (and totally bad) rap song at the end. You can sense the film exploiting both Smith's star image and his race, while not wishing to risk challenging either. The film tries to reinvent 'The Wild Wild West' TV show, but the changes are literally skin deep. To really explore and compare racism in America by blending the attitudes of two different American centuries would have been too wild wild of an idea for these timid timid filmmakers.

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If you are going to make a movie based on a much loved TV show have some respect for the show,this movie has none.
It takes a show that on the whole was not that bad and turns it into a really bad joke.
Will Smith as James West?! James West is supposed to be a western James Bond is there an Actor that looks less like a western James Bond then Will Smith.
He was only cast because of his name power at the time and it show he is not ever trying in this movie,he just keeps yelling his lines at the screen.
The rest of the cast is so awful i don't even want to talk about them. The thing that makes it worse is that they have all done good work in the past that is good but here they don't even seem to be trying.
Then there is the direction. Has there ever been a more incompetent director than Berry Summerfield?
The 'Plot' is just awful.
Doctor Loveless(who in the TV show was a great character with Richard Keel as a henchman)is now a guy in a wheelchair who wants to use a gaint robot spider(That there is no way he could build in the 1860s)to kidnap the President and take over the west. Never mind that the ONE spider can only be in ONE place at once and that all you would have to do to stop it would be shoot it with a buch of cannons and that the vice president would take over for him and Grant would not be able to surrender to him,this is a Will Smith Movie.
Don't even get me started on the cross dressing scene.
Every piece of 'plot' just leads to a mindless scene that is only there so that Warner Brothers can show you that they know what CGI is.
In short this is the worst movie I have ever seen,and it makes the Awful Men in Black 2 look like a classic.
I can't believe this made more money than the Classic South park movie on it opening weekend.

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This finally showed on HBO and ugh, I was not even prepared how terrible this film was. I kept watching like a deer staring at an oncoming semi, but the movie got worse and worse. The characters were horrible, especially the Brit (Kenneth Branagh) with the horrid southern accent.
Don't waste your time watching this one.

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It's really too bad that Will Smith, given the chance to head a respectable cast in a comedy, does nothing more than prove he's unable to hold up a movie by himself. But I'll give him credit: the script is awful, the storyline is vague and only partially explained, and the characters have no distinction whatsoever. He's definitely the high point in this otherwise dead-in-the-water summer spectacle. He's not given much to work with, though, and his song in the film just makes me cringe. I actually feel embarrassed at how badly this guy has sold out.
The Good: Salma Hayek looks yummy and bares her bum. There's also a scene with magnetic collars of some sort that was mildly amusing.
The Bad: The dialogue, the 'action', just about everything else..
The Ugly: Count the green screen shots..

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I wouldn't waste your time and hard earned cash to watch this film. Which will no doubt turn into a big budget summer flop, just like 'The Avengers' last year. I work at my local cinema and viewed it after finishing a shift, and I wish I'd just gone home instead.
The actors in it all deserve better scripts and more in-depth characters. Although there are a few comic moments, and the special effects (which aren't particularly that good), it is not enough to make the film watchable. Personally I would stick to watching the music video which is much better.

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As a fan of the original TV show, I was really rooting for 'Wild Wild West' to succeed. Imagine my disappointment then, when it turned out to be a complete failure, a dud of a movie, a huge disaster; in a word, it just plane sucked. There were so many mistakes and errors made by the so-called 'filmmakers' that I'm not even sure where to start. First, casting Will Smith. Unless your willing to completely disregard the history of the late nineteenth century and make race a complete non-factor (which is not what the writers chose to do) there is no way to sell a black James West. Hell, the giant mechanical spider was more realistic than a black army officer in the post Civil War army. Don't get me wrong, I love Will Smith, but because he is black this role was just not right for him. Second, the writing. Four people are credited with the screenplay, and God only knows how many others 'polished' the script along the way. Yet, with all this talent involved, the end result is hideous. It reminds me of the old maxim that a thousand monkeys randomly typing on typewriters would produce Shakespeare sooner or later; well in this case, they had a lot of writers carefully and selectively typing on typewriters, and they didn't get within a parsec of Shakespeare. The story and characters were all wrong (they needed to look at the original show, which got it right), the dialogue is truly pathetic (I got real sick of West and Gordon saying 'We have to save OUR president' 'That monster is after OUR president') and NONE of the jokes work. The absolute lowest point was when the writers tried to milk humor from a lynching; perhaps in their next effort, the writers will find the humor in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, or the killing fields of Bosnia. The musical score was also a complete failure; it was flat, unimaginative, boring and unengaging. The music should have been building suspense, providing a rousing theme, etc. Except, about all it provided was a headache and all it roused was my ire. 'Wild Wild West' is the posterchild for the hallow, overhyped Hollywood movie that is supposed to be a guaranteed blockbuster (see also 'Judge Dredd' and 'The Avengers'), and it truly deserves the heaps of scorn and criticism which have been dumped on it. I can only pray that Smith's next project can restore his now tarnished reputation, and that Barry Sonnenfeld never makes another movie again as long as he lives.

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1 out of 10
Wow. I'd heard so many awful things about this movie. One ugly remark came rolling after another until the point that it'd pretty much taken its toll on me and I was sure I'd end up liking the movie just on the pure basis of the belief that it couldn't be that bad. It is that bad, and deserves every bit of the harsh criticism poured upon it. Wild Wild West is easily tied for the worst summer blockbuster I've seen in, well, possibly forever (the other one would be Tomb Raider). But at least it's still a smidgen better than Patch Adams.
What's the story? Will Smith and Kevin Kline (who have zero comic chemistry)(actually more like somewhere in the negatives, since they actually suck the fun out of the action) are secret service agents in the 1870's, trying to protect Ulysses S. Grant from a madman named Dr. Loveless (Kenneth Branagh, embarrassing himself to colossal extents). What we get is one of the most awfully unfunny movies in existence. As a matter of fact, what kept in my seat was wondering if the jokes could possibly get worse. And yes, they do. On a morbid level, there's some fascination to be had with what director Barry Sonnenfeld believes is good humor. The action's too sparse to ever be thrilling, the editing is incompetent (anybody else wonder how that one 'indestructible' henchman suddenly met his demise at the end?), and the special effects MIGHT satisfy little kids. If you actually watch this movie in a crowd, it's the kind that induces blushes on whoever suggested watching this movie in the first place.

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Hollywood ruined another great story by casting the horrible one-trick pony known as Will Smith to play James West. Smith is terrible in EVERYTHING he does but in WWW he was unusually terrible. The improbability starts with Smith (Black) in the 1860's as a suave (ugh), Hip (Gag) Secret Service Agent. Now this was so out of place as to be just plain STUPID!! Knenneth Branagh on the other hand was fabulous. Kevin Kline was O.K. and Selma Hayak should've done what she does best- taken off her clothes!! The special effects were kind of cool but the story line sucked and to top it all off the ever-shiteous Fresh Prince had to rap at the closing credits. There will never be a WWW II because it was so lousy. Remember in 'Jersey Girl' when Ben Affleck's character torpedoed his career when he said Will Smith sucked and he would never be heard of again? OH how I wish that in this case art imitated life and Will Smith was a bad memory. Oh I forget; Will Smith is a bad memory every year in about 4 lousy, stinking' rotten movies!

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I had read something on Internet Movie Data Base saying that WWW was 'not as bad as the reviews' ... well, all through the movie, I kept waiting for it to get 'not as bad as the reviews' and I never found it ... it is one of the few movies I felt like leaving, and felt like the price of admission during a matinee was too much ...
For me.. I just cannot suspend disbelief to the point of seeing stuff that is impossible to be built today with todays technologies being built like they were nothing in 1869 ... it is like throwing out every law of physics and science ... but then pasting a few things in to try and make it look real ...
There was just so many impossible things done in that movie that are just impossible .. I like Science-fiction .. heck, I like fantasy movies.. You can invent all kinds of unrealistic stuff and I'll suspend disbelief forever.. and like the made up stuff and enjoy the movie ...
But this was absurd, and they tried to pass it off as feasible .. (which is my only real problem with the movie) ...
For the record, I am a Will Smith fan, and I liked Men In Black (some connection with MiB and WWW) ... but in MiB, the technologies came from elsewhere (and were just as ridiculous) .. but I can buy it ... unlike this movie trying to pass of things that are totally ludicrous.

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Just another example of Hollywood excess gone for naught. This film is so bad that anyone who pays to see it should have their head examined. I'm sorry but sometimes hollywood execs should spend 100 million dollars on five smaller movies than one extravagent piece of garbage.
Kevin Kline, who is one of my favorite actors, did not seem to care in this film. Did he just phone it in? As for the rest of the acting, well, Mr. Kline was the best.
There were so many problems with the film I cannot even list them here. The first of many was that the plot just never interested you. Then, the special effects didn't work either.
Oh well, I'm sure Will Smith will make a comeback and this will not effect his bankability.

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This movie is one of my favorites. I have my own copy of this movie. I have watched it several times and it is a very entertaining action/comedy/fantasy. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you have not seen it, I recommend seeing it. Don't watch the broadcast version because they edit out some of the scenes and details that make this movie great and flow.
This movie version adds it's own style and favor to the concept originated in the TV series and can stand on its own merit. The story and dialog is clever, well written and flows well.
The chemistry between Will Smith , Kevin Cline, and Kenneth Branaugh was good. In fact the entire casting was well selected and the interaction worked. I liked the fake Victorian hi tech gadgets such as the steam powered wheelchair used by Dr. Loveless, the internal combustion powered bicycle, the custom train coach with all of it's gadgets, the bicycle flying machine, the tank, Dr. Loveless'weapon of mass destruction, Artemis Gordon's spur powered grinding machine and his numerous other inventions and disguises, to name a few. Costumes, makeup, and sets were excellent.

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I think this movie was a mistake. Will Smith was miscast as the lead. Kenneth Branaugh gave an over the top performance. The rest of the cast performed adequately. However, overall the production was overdone. There were a few amusing moments and amazingly, the film made over $199 million dollars worldwide.
I wondered why some of the users made such scathing comments about the lead, Will Smith. It seems that the protestations were overly vehement and even offensive. I find too often this is the typical response to TV comedians making the transition to film. I think TV comedians get a bad rap when making the transition to film.
Anyway, although I agree that the film is lacking in many respects, there is no need to bash the lead, namely Will Smith, who has proven that he is growing as an actor.

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Wild Wild West is easily the worst film of the summer. Slow, derivative, and boring. I sat starring at the screen, think 'gee, they wasted a lot of money'. The effects are spectacular, but they are without support. This film has the fewest laughs of any comedy I have ever seen.

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A witty, clever, anachronistic romp through the post-Civil War West, Wild Wild West showcases many exceptional talents. Many people complain that the movie is a 'lame, bloated blockbuster', but I have to disagree. I've never seen the original TV series, and maybe I'd have a more informed opinion if I had, but I immensely liked what I saw. I had never known Kenneth Brannagh was English until I saw him in the second Harry Potter, but I thought he did a wonderful job as Dr. Loveless. Will Smith was both funny and dedicated as Capt. West. I've only ever seen Kevin Kline in this movie, but I thought he did a fine job, too. Salma Hayek is, as ever, a perfectly good reason to watch this movie. If you like nothing else about Wild Wild West, you'll like her. I know President Grant was never that good of a leader, but when your movie has a giant, mechanical spider, historical accuracy doesn't really come into play. I liked everything about it; I don't what else to say. The cinematography, the story, the gadgets, the comedy, it's all good.

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'The Wild Wild West' was a fun series, kind of like James Bond crossed with a buddy cop series in the west. It deserves better than this sad attempt at the continuing reign of Will Smith on the 4th of July. The casting of Will Smith as a secret service agent in the 1860s is a dumb coice and the 'jokes' where white people come close to calling him names are not funny. The original James West, Robert Conrad, voiced his displeasure with this clear marketing move. The only lead that was cast well was Kevin Kline as Artemus Gordon. He does not reach the warmth of Ross Martin, the original, but is the source of humor, however strained and purile. Throughout the series there was villain who always brought a smile when he appeared, Dr. Migeleto Loveless, one of the most sophisticated villains. Like the greatest of villains, his only flaw is the arrogance that makes him underestimate his opponent. How does this film pay him respect? They turn him into an ignorant redneck who kidnaps scientists. An insult to the character and to Kenneth Branagh. The saddest aspect of the casting is that a prime choice existed. Warwick Davis (Willow) would have perfect for Dr. Loveless and someone impersonating Tom Selleck would have pulled this movie up out of the gutter. The only other necessity would be a script that paid more attention to the series. As it is, this movie is an annoying loser.

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Any one of the Roger Moore Bond films had more class then this tripe. Kevin Kline is horribly under used, so is the wonderful Salma Hyack. Will Smith(who is becoming more and more annoying) finally proves that he should of stayed with Bad Boys(his only great film). The effects in the movie are nothing to right home about, and the action scenes left me bored. Just more proof that the average film goer doesnt give a damn what they see, I wish Hollywood would realize that special effects and a few name stars does not make a good movie. Do not see this!

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While trying to kill Southern General 'Bloodbath' McGrath, Captain Jim West crosses paths with US Marshall Artemus Gordon who is also after McGrath in order to uncover the brains behind his operation. With major scientists going missing all over the world, the President puts the two men together to prevent crazed Southerner Loveless from carrying out his threat to take over the US. The two team up using West's shoot first approach and Gordon's gadgets to take on the high-tech weaponry of Loveless.
Every year we have blockbusters that throw money at the screen in the hope of buying sufficient hype and effects to make people watch. Some times these films are actually quite good or at least OK but often they are shocking wastes of money that are just plain awful. That is the case here. Not having ever seen the TV show I can only imagine that I am missing out on the knowledge necessary to enjoy this film. The plot is just a spin on the mismatched partner movies we've all seen before, however here it goes into all sorts of cross-dressing and stupid gadget antics.
The action scenes are reasonable but are spoilt by just how damn stupid the whole thing is. The gadgets are just daft and the use of disguises and silly events just make it seem even more silly and not worth while. The overblown effects shots are just daft and the supposed 'visual climax' of the ultimate weapon is laughable.
The spark that existed in Men in Black is totally absent here. I had ZERO laughs all through this film. Only two in-jokes actually raised a smile (an amusing 'His Master's Voice' and a dig at Lawrence Kasdan). Smith tries hard but to see the Oscar nominee dressed up as a belly dancer is just plain embarrassing and he makes a fool of himself. Kline also is foolish and doesn't bond with Smith one bit. Hayek is wasted in a small role and the film's only interest in her is in her body, cutting to her ass as much as possible - she is a better actress than this and the film does her a huge disservice. To talk of how awful Brannagh is in this film is to understate the fact. This man, who I have seen recently in 'Shackleton', 'Rabbit Proof Fence' and 'Hamlet' being excellent is terrible here – he overacts to the point that it isn't even fun – it is just plain daft and annoying. Having him only have half a body just makes it all worse somehow.
Overall this is a rare thing – a summer blockbuster that will stick in you memory, it's just a shame it sticks for all the wrong reasons. It is absurd yet incredibly unfunny, full of good actors but lacking a single good performance and very expensive but just looking ridiculous with every increasingly dumb special effect shot.

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Oh, really, how could anyone MAKE a film like this? It has to be one of the worst films I've seen in a long, long time. Kevin Kline: you must be desperate. Will Smith: You too.
1/5 stars-
JOHN

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There have been remakes of really good movies or series that either are a viable continuation of a good thing or are good in their own right. This, however, is neither. This film is a slap in the face of anyone who goes to see it on account of its association with the Wild, Wild West series from the sixties.
I'm not anti-Will Smith. On the contrary, I really enjoyed both MIB and ID4; but the guy is entirely out of place here. The jokes are lame, the one-liners sick. Even the effects and plot are not what you would expect. There is no chemistry between the characters.
As this movie neither picks up well on anything the series had, nor has any real charisma of its own it leaves you wondering how anyone could have the gall to use Jim West's name for such a plain pain.
If you haven't seen this film yet, try to keep it that way.. Try to catch a rerun of the series instead - you'll be happier.
1/10

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