Matthew Broderick in "Inspector Gadget."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Matthew Broderick and Rupert Everett Director: David Kellogg Rated: PG, with cartoonlike violence Length: 80 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(July 23, 1999) -- Inspector Gadget, the unlikely nerd hero of early '80s cartoons, has been brought to life in an uninspired live-action film from Disney.

Matthew Broderick stars as the sweet-natured, dim-witted security guard who becomes a robotic crime-fighter.

The result is a user-friendly Robocop for youngsters, overflowing with visual effects and cartoonlike stunts that were impossible until the digital age.

If you -- like me -- aren't familiar with the cartoon series, here's the premise:

Security guard John Brown (Broderick) is nearly killed by an evil villain. He is saved only because experimental surgery replaces his many broken bones with high-tech android materials. Now his thumb shoots out flames, his head can sprout a spinning helicopter blade, his legs extend into high-bouncing springs and his body can fire rockets.

He's the $6 Million Man on steroids.

Obviously, with all that equipment, Brown finally gets to fulfill his lifelong ambition to be part of the Riverton police force.

His adversary is Sanford Scolex, a mad cyborg engineer who wants to create robots to do his bidding. His motives, though, are never explained.

Scolex, played with zestful, over-the-top glee by Rupert Everett, loses his arm in an early tussle with Brown and replaces it with a robotic claw. Thereafter, he's to be called "Claw." "Just one name, like Madonna," he says.

To continue his battle with Brown, Claw creates an Inspector Gadget look-alike who uses his various robotic tools to try to destroy Riverton.

Though Broderick is clearly having fun in the dual role, director David Kellogg and his writers fail to exploit the comic potential of the good and evil twins.

In fact, Inspector Gadget is an underachiever in nearly every way -- its character development never rises above the thin cartoon level, and its plot is both underdeveloped and overly familiar.

Though the film has a few eye-popping effects and enthusiastic performances from Broderick and Everett, Gadget is surprisingly dull and unengaging.

Here's how I know:

First, I hit my watch's Indiglo button three times -- and the movie's only 80 minutes long.

Second, the 8-year-old boy sitting near me crawled into his father's lap at the half-way mark and went to sleep.