CGI is steadily taking over children's television, and poof old Inspector Gadget has fallen afoul of it as of this movie. Although the Pink Panther inspired opening credits make it seem like the viewing public is in for some of the worst computer generated animation ever seen, the 66 minute feature itself proves bearable. Still it does feel like you're watching a Gadget computer game instead of his latest incarnation.
Ignoring Gadget's previous series 'Gadget and the Gadgetini's', our hero is back to being an inspector in Metro City and works for Chief Quimby again instead of being an Lieutenant for WOMP. Penny and Brain are back as sidekicks, and while the later likes to put on a Indiana Jones fedora in his CG incarnation, Penny has had another growth spurt, making her look like Skipper from one of those Barbi direct to DVD fairy tales. In fact, this version of Penny appears rather out of place between the other, more cartoon like characters. New characters include Metro City Mayor Morty Markum who looks like Quimby's older brother and is obsessed with aliens and a nerdy love interest for Penny called Looney Purkle who looks unsettlingly like Andy Dick's character from the Matthew Broderick Inspector Gadget movie.
All the action in this caper takes place in and around Metro City, though Gadget talks about taking a holiday in Holland (and least he does in the Dutch dubbed version I saw, not sure about any other languages). Gadget also refers to himself as 'bionic' for the first time, perhaps to prepare the audience for the sight of him repeatedly losing his head over the course of the story. Dr. Claw escapes from MC Pen thanks to some explosive help from his henchman Bombaboy, leaving a big hole in the ground where Gadget and Indiana Brain find a giant dinosaur egg. Penny and Looney deduce it belongs to an 'Iguana Giganto' The Mayor sees the egg as an instant tourist attraction and Claw (who's legs are visible beneath his chair for the first time) naturally wants to get his gauntlets on it as well.
Of course, Gadget has always been known to draw the wrong conclusion in every possible scenario, but during this caper his deductions are just a bit too far fetched (either that or I'm getting to old for this stuff). First of all he is convinced Dr. Claw is using the giant egg as a disguise/hiding place. When it eventually hatches, the Inspector nicknames the flying Iguana 'Iggy' and thinks it has an obsession for juggling, just like himself. When he finally bumps into Dr. Claw face to face (!) he doesn't even try to arrest him, but somehow assumes Claw is a talent agent representing the prehistoric monster.
By the way, the monster itself is of the kind that can only appear in cartoons, because it lives on metal and grows each time it has a snack. Meanwhile, Andy Dick has been working on a growth pill to solve world hunger but so-far has only come up with a shrinking pill (hint hint nudge nudge). Writer Phil Harnage then proceeded to add an over reliance on pop culture references (Superman, Die Harder and Benny Hill amongst them) in an effort to cover up some of the plot holes (the Dino is never really defeated, he just sort of joins forces with the goodies after a bit of shrinkage). I suppose it was too much to ask for old-school Gadget. For some reason they couldn't even use the original theme, relying on the similar sounding one from Inspector Gadget's Last case instead. But still, any Gadget is better than nothing, even a CG version. Despire my criticism, I was still amused and interested throughout. After all, it was the first time I saw Gadget using his copter to mow the lawn. It will be interested to see where the career of the greatest inspector in the world will lead to next.
7 out of 10
Ignoring Gadget's previous series 'Gadget and the Gadgetini's', our hero is back to being an inspector in Metro City and works for Chief Quimby again instead of being an Lieutenant for WOMP. Penny and Brain are back as sidekicks, and while the later likes to put on a Indiana Jones fedora in his CG incarnation, Penny has had another growth spurt, making her look like Skipper from one of those Barbi direct to DVD fairy tales. In fact, this version of Penny appears rather out of place between the other, more cartoon like characters. New characters include Metro City Mayor Morty Markum who looks like Quimby's older brother and is obsessed with aliens and a nerdy love interest for Penny called Looney Purkle who looks unsettlingly like Andy Dick's character from the Matthew Broderick Inspector Gadget movie.
All the action in this caper takes place in and around Metro City, though Gadget talks about taking a holiday in Holland (and least he does in the Dutch dubbed version I saw, not sure about any other languages). Gadget also refers to himself as 'bionic' for the first time, perhaps to prepare the audience for the sight of him repeatedly losing his head over the course of the story. Dr. Claw escapes from MC Pen thanks to some explosive help from his henchman Bombaboy, leaving a big hole in the ground where Gadget and Indiana Brain find a giant dinosaur egg. Penny and Looney deduce it belongs to an 'Iguana Giganto' The Mayor sees the egg as an instant tourist attraction and Claw (who's legs are visible beneath his chair for the first time) naturally wants to get his gauntlets on it as well.
Of course, Gadget has always been known to draw the wrong conclusion in every possible scenario, but during this caper his deductions are just a bit too far fetched (either that or I'm getting to old for this stuff). First of all he is convinced Dr. Claw is using the giant egg as a disguise/hiding place. When it eventually hatches, the Inspector nicknames the flying Iguana 'Iggy' and thinks it has an obsession for juggling, just like himself. When he finally bumps into Dr. Claw face to face (!) he doesn't even try to arrest him, but somehow assumes Claw is a talent agent representing the prehistoric monster.
By the way, the monster itself is of the kind that can only appear in cartoons, because it lives on metal and grows each time it has a snack. Meanwhile, Andy Dick has been working on a growth pill to solve world hunger but so-far has only come up with a shrinking pill (hint hint nudge nudge). Writer Phil Harnage then proceeded to add an over reliance on pop culture references (Superman, Die Harder and Benny Hill amongst them) in an effort to cover up some of the plot holes (the Dino is never really defeated, he just sort of joins forces with the goodies after a bit of shrinkage). I suppose it was too much to ask for old-school Gadget. For some reason they couldn't even use the original theme, relying on the similar sounding one from Inspector Gadget's Last case instead. But still, any Gadget is better than nothing, even a CG version. Despire my criticism, I was still amused and interested throughout. After all, it was the first time I saw Gadget using his copter to mow the lawn. It will be interested to see where the career of the greatest inspector in the world will lead to next.
7 out of 10