Cowboys... definetly! (Wild Wild West (DVD))

Member Name: T4imbo3107

Product:	Wild Wild West (DVD)
Date:	03/09/08 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can I get back to you on this?

Disadvantages: Anywhere between the beginning and the end!

The Wild Wild West was a Western TV series set in the 1860's. The series aired for a total of four seasons from 1965 to 1969. It told the story of two characters Jim West and Artemis Gordon, played by Robert Conrad and Ross Martin respectively although these were no run of the mail cowboys. These two were slightly different, the reason for this because the writers wanted a new angle to scope the show with, at the time the spy-genre was at its peak in the cinema with James Bond and on the TV with The Man from Uncle. In actual fact they were employed by the American Government as the first Secret Agents in history in a new Department that President Grant had created. So the decision was made to blend the two genres of Western with that of Spy and the outcome was The Wild Wild West. Like all good TV series there was always a reoccurring villain, in this case it was a character called Miguelito Loveless, a dwarf whose only intention was to conquer the world, played memorably by Michael Dunn.

After a successful run on TV, two reunion specials were made in 1979 and 1980, titled The Wild Wild West Revisited and More Wild Wild West respectively these stories expanded the legacy further. So with the trend at the end of the 90's in remaking TV series into a cinematic release The Wild Wild West was a strong candidate with a strong background and a high standard.

Released in 1999 the film takes us back to the very beginning of the West/Gordon partnership as the characters meet and get to know each other when they are assigned their first mission together. The film employs some trademarks of the series by having an updated version of the opening title credits as well as the use of a steam train as the preferred method of transport which looks good on screen.

Although the characters names were kept the same, the actor who played James West was controversial to say the least. Actor Will Smith played West, personally I felt this was a piece of tasteless miscasting, bearing in mind the attitude towards black people at this time in history, it makes watching this film in some places quite uncomfortable to actually watch.

Also like other period piece films, it tends to ignore what was happening in America at that time in history and re-writes history to suit the script; this just shows a level of ignorance that has been employed by the script writers. There are also a number of 'Smithisms' that moves the gravity away from the buddy movie it was supposed to be, firstly the soundtrack contains a Will Smith song and secondly the role of Gordon is not an equal but a supporting role.

Will Smith plays the main character in the film as Will Smith usually does. You get the idea that he doesn't like the idea of having to share the bill with someone else and has the best lines when compared to Kline who seems to be there just as comic relief due to his wackiness and eccentricity as an inventor, West is the complete flipside of Gordon, West is the loner and adventurer who at first id reluctant to team up with someone who is obviously his equal. It just seems that Smith is playing West in the same way as every other character he has portrayed, even going to the extent of wearing sunglasses while riding his horse.

Artemis Gordon is played by Kevin Kline who has really gone off on a tangent with how he fills the role. He is competitive with a large ego and seems to have invented a number of gadgets before the people we know as the inventors, such as an early flying machine and bullet proof vests. The character has the Kline method of acting applied to it and although enjoyable to watch for the first hour can get a bit tedious by the end of the film as he is competing to grab attention throughout as you can see Kline perform small movements that distract the eye away from Smith.

The film also over uses computer generated effects to an extent that you feel the actors were never outside a studio. In some places they are used to good effect, but in others are tending to distract the viewer from what is happening. For example Kenneth Brannagh plays the villain, Arliss Lovelace. Slight name change from the TV series, this time round instead of being a dwarf the character has no legs. So Brannagh's legs have been CGI'd out, so he plays a double amputee. Brannagh plays Loveless as more of a pantomime character than someone who wants to conquer the world while acting in a totally over the top manner. For starters his intention is to put America back into a Civil War, by playing Americans off against each other, a lacklustre plot to begin with at best. It's not that I didn't like Brannagh in the part, but he just isn't right, if the part was played in a similar way to that of the TV show I think it would have had a lot more gravity to it and more interesting to boot.

Direction by Barry Sonnenfield overall is good and does catch the feeling of the Wild West in general as the angles used are basivc and not at all arty in any manner. Sonnenfield had also directed the Men in Black films as well, so having Will Smith in this film is someone who he would be used to working with. Again the amount of computerised effects that he has placed is far too extreme as there is hardly any scene that doesn't contain some sort of effect to alter reality.

Producer Jon Peters has had his fingers in a lot of pies in the past and has the image within Hollywood of being somewhat of a jinx. He was involved with the Nicholas Cage version of Superman, any film that he is involved in usually has some sort of major merchandising campaign behind it. The trouble is that he ensures that the script has these caveats in it, the inclusion in the Superman film was that Metropolis would be overrun by a giant Spider with a number of sub-characters that a range of action figures could be made from.

Well guess what?

This film has a giant Spider and a various number of sub-characters throughout, and yes there was a major merchandising campaign involving a range of action figures. Needless to say that Superman film didn't get made in the end and personally I wish this one hadn't. The trouble is that the film is very loosely based on the TV series and has been changed to such an extent that the magic has been lost and diluted in a major way that renders this film an "anyone could play these parts" type film rather "he played the part well".

In the TV series, West and Gordon were close buddies who worked together and had a great amount of respect for each other. Even though the screen versions are the same in name they bicker throughout the film in an attempt to out do each other and win the hand of the female lead, played by Salma Heyek. They just don't have the buddy/ buddy chemistry of say other films like Lethal Weapon and by the time the end credits appear you are kind of glad that the film has reached the end titles. In fact you are unsure as to whether the film is an action or a comedy movie as the story swings from one to another through the course of the film. Interestingly the original Jim West, Robert Conrad turned down the part of President Grant as he thought the script was poor and didn't respect the source of the original TV series. I the end Kline took on a second pasrt and played the role of the President as well as Gordon.

Overall I thought other than the obvious racial aspects of the film and the overuse of CGI throughout the film made the film rather dull and clichéd in parts and as someone who is a fan of the original series was disappointed with this completely. If you want to see a classic period adventure that is enjoyable to watch then get the DVD's of the TV series. If I had to say another film that I had to mention at the same level then it would be Ben Stiller's remake of Starsky and Hutch as the values and thinking with the script behind this and Wild Wild West has been completely abandoned for that of profit, something that this film didn't really make much off when it was released.

Summary: An embarassment to the original TV series.