Big-Screen ‘Inspector Gadget’ Tries to Add Hip to the Mix

Maybe it’s a generational thing, but “Inspector Gadget,” the animated adventure series that flourished in the ‘70s and ‘80s, never quite caught my fancy in the way that, say, its lesser-known contemporary, “Danger Mouse,” did.

“DM” never took itself too seriously and liked to wink at the kids to show that it knew how corny it could get. “Gadget,” whimsical as its concept was, never seemed to acquire the self-deprecating edge that could have made it more than a nice midafternoon baby-sitter.

Nevertheless, those responsible for bringing “Inspector Gadget” to big-screen, live-action, high-concept . . . whatever, try to bring such self-aware hipness to the tale of a security guard (Matthew Broderick), who is blown to bits by the sinister Claw (Rupert Everett) and rebuilt as a sort of Rube Goldberg notion of RoboCop; “a walking hardware store,” as Broderick’s Inspector calls himself.

Broderick’s mechanized man is welcomed to the police by the town mayor (Cheri Oteri), but is put on cat-recovery duty by the crusty police chief (Dabney Coleman), who thinks Gadget’s nothing more than a circus act with a badge.

Why, you ask, would such a weapon be squandered? Thanks to cyber-scientist Brenda Bradford (Joely Fisher), Gadget has all these levers, propellers, flames, springs and fluids bursting from his limbs. He also gets his own self-propelled Gadgetmobile (the voice of comic D.L. Hughley). “Gotta wear a seat belt!” the car announces at one point. “This is a Disney movie!”

Indeed it is. And despite such slick asides to the audience that lead you to think it’ll be another “George of the Jungle,” “Gadget” instead ends up as another mindless, noisy thrill ride that gorges its audience on bright effects and leaves it queasy from overconsumption.

The doodads and knickknacks that spring unbidden from Gadget’s body and car are charming for about five seconds at a time. But after a while, they induce the same languor that the animated series did. One thing the movie picks up from the series: Once again, it’s left to Gadget’s niece Penny (Michelle Trachtenberg from “Harriet the Spy”) to save his bacon.

Gadget’s showdown with his Claw-constructed evil twin (Broderick with big, white teeth) would seem a waste of energy if it weren’t for the fact that Broderick strikes the proper balance of earnestness and goofiness. Though “Gadget’s” a far different slice of pizza than “Election,” both movies would seem to prove, in their distinct ways, that Broderick has found himself a cinematic niche as the prototypical wide-eyed, klutzy galoot.

* MPAA rating: PG for wacky violence/action, language and innuendo, cartoonish violence, slight risque comments. Times guidelines: It’s more like a cartoon than a live-action movie.

‘Inspector Gadget’

Matthew Broderick: Inspector Gadget/RoboGadget/John Brown

Rupert Everett: Sanford Scolex/Claw

Joely Fisher: Brenda/RoboBrenda

Michelle Trachtenberg: Penny

Andy Dick: Kramer

Cheri Oteri: Mayor Wilson

Michael G. Hagerty: Sikes

Dabney Coleman: Chief Quimby

Walt Disney Pictures presents “Inspector Gadget.” Directed by David Kellogg. Screenplay by Kerry Ehrin and Zak Penn. Story by Dana Olsen and Kerry Ehrin. Based on characters created by Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopn and Bruno Bianchi. Produced by Jordan Kerner, Roger Birnbaum and Andy Heyward. Executive producers Jon Avnet, Barry Bernardi, Aaron Meyerson, Jonathan Glickman, Ralph Winter. Cinematography by Adam Greenberg. Production design by Michael White and Leslie Dilley. Animatronic effects by Stan Winston. Visual effects supervisor Richard Hoover. Music by John Debney. Supervising art director Geoff Hubbard. Running time: 1 hour, 18 minutes.

In general release.