John Brown is a bumbling but well-intentioned security guard who is badly injured in an explosion planned by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a laboratory, where Brenda, a leading robotics surgeon, replaces his damaged limbs with state-of-the-art gadgets and tools. Named "Inspector Gadget" by the press, John -- along with his niece, Penny, and her trusty dog, Brain -- uses his new powers to discover who was behind the explosion.
Inspector Gadget demonstrates how a movie with little more on its mind than tickling the eyeballs of 7-year-olds can feature spiffy, jack-in-the-box special effects and still end up a dud.
– Owen Gleiberman,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Watching Inspector Gadget is like watching a human Swiss Army knife for nearly an hour and a half.
– Lawrence Van Gelder,
New York Times,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Although it's quick, mischievous and full of visual trickery, there's not much magic in Inspector Gadget.
– Susan Stark,
Detroit News,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
Gizmos and villains are delightful!
– Jay Boyar,
Orlando Sentinel,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
The best thing about Inspector Gadget is that it's only 75 minutes long.