Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5172 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-02-21
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Romanian, Arabic, Bulgarian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Wild Wild West, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, Get Shorty), was one of the box-office smashes of the summer of 1999 but was raked by critics and embraced by audiences. Based on the 1960s TV adventure show that starred Robert Conrad, this film re-imagined Secret Service agent James West as Will Smith, adding Oscar-winner Kevin Kline as his sidekick, agent-inventor Artemus Gordon. President Ulysses S. Grant puts West and Gordon on the trail of malign genius (and former Confederate soldier) Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) in a story about racism, partnership and world domination. The special effects are lavish, even garish, but not all that special; they're not enough to elevate a mundane and familiar plot. Even Branagh, playing a man who only exists from the waist up--literally--can't find the juice in this lumbering affair. Still, the fast-talking team of Smith and Kline is a nimble one. Smith's affable charm and Kline's subversive wit win many points, though not nearly enough.--Marshall Fine

Video Description
DVD Special Features

Full Arsenal of Behind-the Scenes Documentaries
Will Smith and Enrique Iglasias Music Videos
Stills Gallery
Interactive Menus
Theatrical Trailer
Scene Access
Language in Dolby Digital 5.1: English
Subtitles: English/Arabic/Romanian/Bulgarian/English for the hearing impaired

Sharpshooting Enhanced Features For Your DVD-ROM PC

Artemus Gordon's Mind-Projection Theatre Reveals A Trainload of Behind-the Scenes Clips
Two Genre Essays
The Steel Assasin Interactive Game
Web Events and Chat Room Access
Original Theatrical Web Site

Synopsis
Barry Sonnenfeld is reunited with his MEN IN BLACK star Will Smith in this gadget-soaked romp based (loosely) on the 1960s television show. WILD WILD WEST supplies many impressive visuals (thanks to brilliant production designer Bo Welch) and some hearty laughs. Will Smith is James West, a Civil War hero and U.S. marshal inclined to shoot first and ask questions later. His partner is the wacky inventor and pseudointellectual Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline). The team is created when the world's leading scientists are kidnapped by a diabolical madman named Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh), and President Ulysses S. Grant (also played by Kevin Kline) wants his two best men on the job. Loveless's machines have the creepy fun feeling of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (Welch again)--many of them have a spider motif--and Artemus Gordon rivals him with his own fun inventions. An odd but enjoyable blend of science fiction and old-school Western, WILD WILD WEST is packed with cool images and slick action sequences.

Customer Reviews

AN INSULT AND A TRAVESTY!
When I was a kid I loved the original tv series. It used to be shown very late at night on what was then I.T.V. However, this awful travesty of a film is an insult to me and the thousands of other fans across the globe of the original tv show. It completely lacks the charm, humor and heart of the old show, that if you know anything about it, was created every week by writers, cast and crew that truly loved what they were doing. If you want to know the true and horrifying origin of this celluloid debacle check out the dvd of AN EVENING WITH KEVIN SMITH VOLUME 1. Your jaw will drop!

Wild Wild Wayward
If you expect "Wild, Wild West" to be a remake of the 60s TV show, you'll be disappointed. If you expected to see some great special effects, you'll probably be disappointed there as well. If you expect a great storyline, well, you'll probably be disappointed.

However, if you can let go of all your preconceptions and just go along for a silly little romp, then I've seen many movies much worse than this one! The movie has definitely been made with tongue firmly planted in cheek, and if you can accept that, then you won't walk out thinking you've wasted your time in watching.

Will Smith and Kevin Kline obviously were having fun with this comedy, and the writers were over-the-top in taking the characters from the TV Show and moving them to the extremes. Easiest to see in this vein are their "aversions" to each others ideas. The Jim West (Smith) character in the TV show always used the little tools and tricks that Artemis Gordon (Kline) designed. Likewise, Gordon wasn't afraid to use a gun in the series. By making them caricatures of caricatures, the story line becomes just plain silly.

Wild Wild West
Look, let's get one thing straight, this film was never meant to be a serious attempt at an accurate historical piece or even a believable, credible thriller. It's a pantomime on film with wonderful costumes, fantastic sets, a baddie you can hiss and boo and goodies you can cheer on to their final victory.

I was quite surprised to see the "12" rating of the film as I watched it with my children (11 and 9) and felt there was no excessive violence or extreme foul language. Indeed the fight scenes are so staged and comical the opposite is true.

OK, Will Smith is never going to be cast in Shakespeare, but he does pull of a mean cool hero, Kevin Klein is good but never reaches his true comic potential in his role, but stealing the show has to be a brilliant Kenneth Branagh hamming it up to the ultimate. The comedy isn't side splitting, but it is jolly and is never far away and there are some pretty snappy one-liners.

A mention has to be made about the sets and props also, futuristic yet antique they are incredibly fantastic and suit the mood of the film perfectly. It's like the industrial revolution gone mad and a wonderland for the lovers of gadgets.

As I say, even if you hated the film for its dubious storyline, it did feature a bevy of beautiful women in tight corsets, which can't be a bad thing can it?