MovieChat Forums > Inspector Gadget (2015) Discussion > A boatload of confusion

A boatload of confusion

posted 9 years ago by Adamant-A
6 replies | jump to latest

OK, so when I first heard a few months ago that Canada was working on a new Inspector Gadget series I was a bit excited (being a proud Canadian, myself). I just watched the first two episodes and I am just puzzled by the show.

The series begins with Dr. Claw thawed out of a cryogenic sleep and gunning for a now retired Gadget because he was the one who dismantled and hid the claw-hand away. Meanwhile, Penny and Brain actively work with Chief Quimby now and don't have to hide their keen deductive skills anymore.

You can see the direction that the show wants to move towards, by setting this new show several years after the original one and allowing Penny to fully prove how smart she is, little tidbits like these were clearly added to intrigue longtime fans by giving us something new, but not rebooting the franchise.

Any interesting ideas ended there, though. Now we're treated to an ineffective Dr. Claw who just whines and bumbles around with only a 'hip young bad-boy nephew' (my own words, but I can tell that some studio suit proposed the idea with those exact words) to do his bidding. BTW the kid, Talon, is annoying.
Brain still acts similarly to his old self, but now does these weird over-the-top exaggerated facial and physical expressions and an 'I don't want to to be here' attitude that reminded me more of Gromit from Wallace & Gromit shorts.
Penny just plain isn't as smart as she was in the older series.
Inspector Gadget himself is nearly exactly the same as his original series self, but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it seems like his classic character was untouched and unruined, but on the other hand it's odd to hear someone other than Don Adams do the voice for the character while not bringing anything new to the table. Gadget is still dumb, but a bit dumber than I remember, and when the supporting characters who would usually help him aren't as smart or strong as they used to be, it's harder for the audience to invest in anybody.

Maybe that's the problem, it's a show for kids that they may like, but any longtime fans should probably avoid since it's way too childish.

TL;DR: it blows, but 5 year-olds might like it.

[–] uruseiranma 9 years ago

Brain feels significantly side-stepped since Penny is more front-and-center with her role as an agent-in-training.

The relationship between Claw and Talon, almost reminds me of Dr Evil and Scott Evil, where the elder has these ridiculous plans that the younger is constantly poking holes in.

"Thanks, guys." "So long, partner."

- Toy Story 3 (9/10)

[–] Goosfrabah 9 years ago

I grew up with Don Adams' Gadget in the '80s, and loved it. I love this new reboot, as well. To me, the reboot retains the charm that the original series had, while adding fun, modern twists. I only have 2 minor complaints:

*The new theme song is horrible! They should have kept the classic theme.

*Doctor Claw is a bit too buffoonish. I understand the angle they're playing at here, with Claw being "old man uncle" who is behind the times, still stuck in "'80s supervillain mode," etc. It's charming and funny to a point, but a bit too overdone.

[–] spacemanspiff00 9 years ago

I think most people who grew up with the original show are going to hate this new show. After watching the first two episodes this show is just bad.

[–] pidge32241 9 years ago

Well I'll throw my two cents in. I don't care for some of the changes. And some things I'm fine with. And two things I'm mixed with emotions about.

Mixed: Penny now a agent in training. I like part of the idea but at the same time it doesn't feel right. Also Talon.

Don't Like:

1. Doctor Claw's nephew revealed as a villain way to fast. They could have built a whole season based on this. Rather then come out and say "I'm the bad guy." It would have been better. He could help capture a few goons while letting major Villains escape. With no one knowing. Also he could be running M.A.D. while secretly looking for Dr.Claw and playing good guy.

2. Doctor Claw frozen hanging upside down in a glacier. It would have been better if he was completely frozen. They should have Captain America him. Also a few people have mentioned Claw in this is a bit of a wuss. Not as intimidating as he should/could be.

3. Two 15 minute episodes. A half hour episode would have been fine.

Likes

1. Like a lot of people say for little kids this isn't bad.

2. The voices. It would have been nice if they got Frank Welker and Cree Summer back. However people are busy. And Tara Strong is a decent female voice actress. And Since Don Adams passed away. The new voice of Gadget isn't bad.

3. Gadget is still Gadget.

4. Some nods to the original show. Like showing Gadget's original car and suit. And you still don't see Dr. Claw's face.

[–] jvle100 9 years ago

For one thing, I like the animation for this show; it's so dynamic and fluid. On the other hand, I didn't like how they ditched the actual "inspecting" of the original and opted to fill the whole thing with annoying quirks. Now Dr. Claw has a snarky nephew who serves as an evil counterpart/love interest for the now-teenage Penny (who did everything behind the scenes with her then-innovative computer book. This time, without anything new to offer, she just feels as uninteresting a token girl as she can get). Gadget is still dumb, but without any miraculous solution to trip into with his stupidity, there really is nothing to say about him; this is because Dr. Claw's current antics are even dumber. Claw no longer strikes the viewers as the mysterious and slightly creepy villain he was in the 80's, now he's been demoted to the typical "old man past his prime" who doesn't get the current "'tude". While the animation and voice acting are sublime, the writing leaves much to be desired. Instead of 15 minute segments of random hijinks, they should've kept part of what made the original series so popular in the first place, gadget foiling Claw's plans through sheer stupidity, which Penny taking care of everything else behind the scenes.

And call it a hunch, but was this made by the same people who worked on "Sonic Boom"?

[–] me-133-419502 9 years ago

The things that is cool about this show is: The high sci-fi theme and the new gadgets, I love the way they do tech in this show.
They combine primitive stuff like roller-skates and copter with holographic displays, blob guns, jetpacks and stuff like that and it works really well.

Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the: "high polygon, low detail 3d style with empty backgrounds" as seen in most mediocre 3d shows (like the new tmnt show) but it's acceptable.

I also don't like how Penny now seems more like an agent and less like a harmless innocent girl who just happens to be very intelligent and smart. This in itself is a huge change. Brain is still about the same. Dr. Claw is also a bit more goofy and than mysterious/evil/villainous. Gadget himself is fine. I like how the other agents are just cartoony 'mindless' big suit characters, it really puts into perspective why gadget even works there.

In a way, this show is way more serious. Dr. Claw's voice is not as deep and evil. The music is also not as tense. Penny isn't explicitly bad ass but implicitly bad ass...which (ironically) makes her wayyyy less bad ass. Also some of the jokes work better in 2d animated than 3d animated due to the flexibility of the drawn medium.

all-in-all....not a bad show at all but where the old show was amazing for way more than just: "goofy secret agent foils bad guy's plans by accident", this one doesn't seem to have much more that.