Today’s quick review: Wild Wild West. When Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh), a master of machinery, threatens the United States, James West (Will Smith), a trigger-happy Army captain, and Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline), a U.S. Marshal and an eccentric inventor, are tasked with bringing him down. The unlikely duo must learn to work together to stop Loveless’ plan, all while competing for the affection of the lovely Rita (Salma Hayek).
Wild Wild West is an Western action comedy with a steampunk twist. The movie posits a post-Civil War America where a few brilliant inventors are ahead of their time, concocting impressive steam-powered devices. Wild Wild West pits the derring-do and eclectic gadgets of West and Gordon against the killing machines of Dr. Loveless. The result is a rollicking, quirky adventure with mixed execution.
Wild Wild West is a peculiar movie in several ways. The gadgetry runs the gamut from impressive to nifty to cartoonish to patently unbelievable. The sheer quantity of gadgets makes them interesting, but not all of them are hits, and a few are even macabre. Wild Wild West also sports the typical defiant banter of action comedies but makes the mistake of prolonging it. Rather than a few timely quips, the characters duel with wordplay that isn’t worth the slowdown.
As far as acting goes, Will Smith and Kevin Kline are good picks. Will Smith is in fine action hero form, although his one-liners suffer due to the writing. Kevin Kline isn’t used to his fullest, but he is amusing, plays off Will Smith well, and has a few good moments. Kenneth Branagh makes for a strange villain: a ruthless Southern inventor who is missing the lower half of his body, is prone to grand gestures, and is accompanied by a bizarre retinue.
As for its action, Wild Wild West is actually pretty good. The movie has a healthy mix of hand-to-hand combat, chase scenes, and slapstick, plus a few big machines to raise the stakes. The CGI also holds up quite well for the movie’s age. However, the plot takes a hit to accommodate the action, layering on pointless twists just to fit in a few more action scenes. Likewise, the logistics of the film don’t quite check out.
Watch Wild Wild West when you are in the mood for an action comedy that pushes genre boundaries. The film’s execution leaves plenty to be desired, with notable flaws in its action, comedy, and writing. But given a bit of slack, it does entertain, and no other movie has its ambitious premise. For a Will Smith action comedy with better execution from the same director, check out Men in Black. For a Western comedy with better writing, check out Shanghai Noon.
4.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for decent action and comedy held back by an experimental premise and mediocre writing.