Less Than Wild About 'West'
There may be at least one "Wild" too many in the title of Will Smith's latest superstar vehicle. Sure, Wild Wild West boasts gadgets galore, an inventive plot, postcard scenery, and a fireball-spewing 80-foot-tall tarantula. But sometimes, this pre-ordained summer blockbuster gets a little flat and dry. . .not unlike the desert out in the wild, wild, west.
The movie owes much to several predecessors. Aside from its namesake-the old 1965-70 CBS series starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin-there are dashes of Jules Verne and Baron Munchausen. And if the James Bond series took place on the American Western frontier, it would greatly resemble WWW.
Which is not to say WWW is all "been there/done that." In terms of innovation and imagination, this sci-fi western feels strikingly original. In fact, there's little quite like it. Heavy on metal and smoke, it relishes its cast-iron, steam-driven wheelchairs, its towering mechanical spiders, its contraption-laden locomotives. Even without the magnetic collars, hypnotic breastplates, and killer Frisbees, WWW still dabbles in the whimsical. Try and find another movie where sheep graze on the White House lawn.
Justification for all the fantastical elements comes by way of two characters, each a father of invention. U.S. government agent Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline) excels in disguises and contraptions while the evil, leg-less Dr. Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) creates insects of mass destruction. Joining Gordon's side (when he's not a thorn in Gordon's side) is another government agent, the suave, impulsive Jim West (Will Smith).
It's 1869, and President Grant has ordered competing agents West and Gordon to team up and track down the sinister and brilliant Dr. Loveless. The diabolical doctor had lost his lower extremities in a disastrous scientific experiment (he's now half machine) and plans to take over the young U.S.A. With the two agents on the doctor's trail (along with a spunky and exotic "entertainer" played by Salma Hayek), WWW becomes a match of gadgets.
The only thing that seems to defy invention here is any real chemistry between Smith and Kline. They're certainly no Hope and Crosby and Hayek doesn't quite cut it as Dorothy Lamour either. Not to blame them, necessarily. Better scripting and direction might have provided the requisite magic.
The one player in WWW who does cast a spell is Branagh as Loveless. Chewing on the Old West scenery and pursuing his deadly course, Branagh's effort deserves a hallowed spot in the pantheon of villains.
But even Branagh can't create the excitement this feature somehow lacks. It's just not fun or funny enough. And any true sense of excitement, much like the old West, still seems to be in development. As for the ending, in this day of big blockbuster blowouts, it's surprisingly non-explosive.
Wild Wild West, instead, settles for the chance to be merely interesting. In that vein, direcor Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family, Get Shorty, Men in Black) delivers a movie that gives the imagination a heavier workout than many. Plus, when all else fails, it still has its star, Will Smith, who, in his retro shades and man-in-black cowboy hat, once again struts his "big Willie style."
Just one warning: Smith's chart-topping theme song doesn't pop in till the end credits and the rest of the movie plays as straight as any comedic sci-fi western can. If the trailers led you to believe in any way that this western also incorporates a lot of hip-hop, save yourself the price of admission and just watch the video on MTV.
Written by Rob Medich