Legless Southern inventor Dr. Arliss Loveless plans to rekindle the Civil War by assassinating President U.S. Grant. Only two men can stop him: gunfighter James West and master-of-disguise and inventor Artemus Gordon. The two must team up to thwart Loveless' plans.
Unfortunately, Smith's abundant charm is squandered by making him play second fiddle to a bunch of dumb machines that look like rejected maquettes from a Star Wars brainstorming session.
– Michael O'Sullivan,
Washington Post,
17 Jun 2014
rotten:
In the tradition of such unwatchable blockbusters as Armageddon, Con Air, and Godzilla comes Wild Wild West, yet another cinematic Spruce Goose that illustrates how bigger is rarely better.
– Nathan Rabin,
AV Club,
17 Jun 2014
rotten:
Wild, Wild West poses this not very pressing question: Can a comedy costing something north of $100 million hope to succeed solely on the basis of special effects, cross-dressing and a vertically challenged villain?
– Richard Schickel,
TIME Magazine,
17 Jun 2014
rotten:
The result? A cautionary tale about boys and their toys and what happens when a star, Will Smith, and a director, Barry Sonnenfeld, are given way too much money to play with.
– Paul Clinton (CNN.com),
CNN.com,
17 Jun 2014
rotten:
The movie is exhausting, utterly without feeling, and pointless -- though Smith looks great in his Western outfit.