Wild Wild West (1999)

21% of critics liked it
(104 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(436,922 ratings)

Yet another TV series is revived for the big screen, as Will Smith and Kevin Kline join forces as James T. West and Artemus Gordon, the most sophisticated government agents of the 1860's, in the film adaptation of The Wild Wild West. West and Gordon represent two opposite ends of the personality… More Yet another TV series is revived for the big screen, as Will Smith and Kevin Kline join forces as James T. West and Artemus Gordon, the most sophisticated government agents of the 1860's, in the film adaptation of The Wild Wild West. West and Gordon represent two opposite ends of the personality scale: West is a smooth-talking charmer and man of action who prefers to shoot first and ask questions much, much later; while Gordon is intensely methodical and cerebral, with a genius for gadgets and mechanical innovations. They're brought together by no less an authority than the President of the United States to track down an evil genius named Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh). Loveless was once an honored military leader and inventor until one of his schemes went awry and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Driven mad by the experience, Loveless is determined to get revenge on the United States by assassinating the President, using a 60-foot tall mechanical spider. Assisting Loveless is a team of beautiful female criminals, Miss East (Bai Ling), Amazonia (Frederique Van Der Wal), Munitia (Musetta Vander) and Miss Lippenreider (Sofia Eng). As the initially suspicious West and Gordon learn to work together, they also find themselves helped by an attractive woman, Rita Escobar (Salma Hayek), who has her own bone to pick with Loveless. Wild Wild West reunites star Will Smith with director Barry Sonnenfeld, who previously worked together on the hit Men In Black (1997). Wild Wild West features a hip-hop theme song from one-time Fresh Prince Smith, along with a more traditional Western score from composer Elmer Bernstein. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld
Written By: S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman
Genres: Western, Action & Adventure, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 30, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Nov 30, 1999
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

Andrea C. Basora, Newsweek
Sonnenfeld's sardonic voice appears to have been trapped in the web of the giant iron spider that rampages through the last part of the film.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Some very talented people stub their collective toes quite elaborately and expensively in Wild Wild West.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Sonnenfeld's cheerful irreverence keeps it reasonable.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Smith's hip-hop aloofness and Kline's Master Thespian routines don't mesh.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
There are six writers and eight producers listed in the credits. Is it any wonder that it feels like an amalgamation of mismatched bits and pieces?
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
The ace in the hole in Wild Wild West is Shakespearean Kenneth Branagh as the villain, Loveless.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a sporadically amusing yet disastrously overblown adaptation...
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
We never thought we'd miss Robert Conrad...
Andrew Collins, Empire Magazine
A film where the concept came first and the script -- and everything else -- seems to have finished a poor second.
, Film4
The most hollow of the recent Hollywood offerings.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
...has style to spare, a few laughs and some imaginative touches. Also like 'Avengers' it has stars who look like they'd rather be somewhere else, a lack of verve and a script that takes the long road to nowhere.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
This is not so much a review as an inquiry into memory, as I attempt to recover the one tiny redeeming virtue.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
This monument to the vacuous excesses of chequebook cinema highlights the desperation of those who throw money at the screen hoping it will buy them a blockbuster.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
The film is lean, but not mean, and entertains, mostly, from beginning to end.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Terribly lame humour don't help.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
I recommend you suspend any whiff of disbelief and enjoy Sonnenfeld's hammy sci-fi Western, set in the late 1860s.
Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo Alto Weekly
If every cloud has a silver lining, my lining is that my year-end worst list is one film closer to completion.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
The sheer fun generated by the characterizations will provide enough entertainment value for the average moviegoer.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Looks fun, but, Wild Wild West, is a pure crap.
Jeff "

Wild Wild West is a very poorly executed action film. Barry Sonnenfeld only has one good film under his belt (Men in Black) and the rest are garbage, but Wild Wild West takes the cake as his worst yet. I've seen such an awful film. This film is so poorly crafted, that you wonder… More
Wild Wild West is a very poorly executed action film. Barry Sonnenfeld only has one good film under his belt (Men in Black) and the rest are garbage, but Wild Wild West takes the cake as his worst yet. I've seen such an awful film. This film is so poorly crafted, that you wonder how this ever got the go ahead. Everything about this film is terrible. The acting, the story and directing. Sonnenfeld really isn't a good director, and he's made more bad films than good one. Wild Wild West is a strained film that tries too hard at delivering something to the audience. The only problem is, is that this film bores the viewer to death. I remember watching this film and it was very boring. The film is pure crap. What's surprising is the amount of good actors in this film, Ted Levine, Kenneth Branagh for one have impressive resumes. I wonder why these established and talented actors decided to star in this awful mess. This film insults the Western films of old, and makes a mockery of the genre. Maybe with a better script this film could've worked. It's like Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, no one thought that it would be good, but guess what? It was. This could have been a top notch action film with a different director and of course script, but scriptwriters to capture what was fun about the original Westerns of the 60's, and above all the TV show it was based on. This film is a waste of time, and an awful action film from a not so good director.
Conner R

I used to love this movie when it came out and I still do. In film history, it stands as the most outrageous and flat out weird western to ever be made. It blends sci-fi/fantasy and Barry Sonnenfeld's weird sense of style in a way that probably no one was expecting. The spider… More
I used to love this movie when it came out and I still do. In film history, it stands as the most outrageous and flat out weird western to ever be made. It blends sci-fi/fantasy and Barry Sonnenfeld's weird sense of style in a way that probably no one was expecting. The spider machine of doom and Dr. Loveless are truly unforgettable. Kenneth Branagh's amazingly over-the-top performance is probably one of the greatest 90s villains of all time. Not only was he diabolical in a way that most can only dream, but he was also a true southern gentlemen. Bloodbath McGrath and Kevin Kline's tranny escapades are also staples of the time in movies where you could reach for the stars. Will Smith was strange because he wasn't of the time period at all, it was as if he was transported there by aliens and left to survive. You will truly never experience anything like it again. In terms of visuals, Wild Wild West is undeniably cool. Even people that hated the movie can't deny that it looked really good. Now I just don't think most people were ready for this sort of movie back when it came out and maybe still aren't. However, for the crowd that does get it, this is a true classic and one unique western.
Chris W

Westerns are cool. They're an American institution, and steampunk has its merits, but this movie is all over the place, and, while some of it is amusing, in the end, it all falls apart, and is just too silly and unfocused for its own good. It had potential-everything does, but… More
Westerns are cool. They're an American institution, and steampunk has its merits, but this movie is all over the place, and, while some of it is amusing, in the end, it all falls apart, and is just too silly and unfocused for its own good. It had potential-everything does, but Smith was an inappropriate choice for this. It's hard to buy any of this. When looked at as camp, sure it's a bit better, but not by much. Plus, Jon Peters is a nut job. How he was able to be a producer on anything is astounding...except for Batman. SOmehow that worked....
Lady D

A couple of amusing moments, but on the whole not one of Smith's better films, very easily forgotten
Sanjaya &

Saw it accidentally on T.V. because I was wrong to remember the schedule of the movie I wanted to watch, so I saw this movie... Then what I saw after 107 minutes wasn't that bad at all... It was true that seeing a movie that typically just like this movie, you must get rid all of… More
Saw it accidentally on T.V. because I was wrong to remember the schedule of the movie I wanted to watch, so I saw this movie... Then what I saw after 107 minutes wasn't that bad at all... It was true that seeing a movie that typically just like this movie, you must get rid all of your logics because this movie only wants to have some fun, and yes I have some fun while watching it... The cast was doing okay, at least they seems to having fun here... Overall, it's a fun movie, and watch it without thinking anything because this movie is really just want to have some fun...
Tim S

Wicky wicky wicky, Wild Wild West. Pssh.
Jennifer D

Ridiculous, but funny.
Anthony L

Was nice to see Branagh in a slightly different role than his usual, i thought he did quite well. It was also nice to see Salma Hayek?s bare bottom. Apart from these 2 points the film is crap!
Jason O

I know a lot of people will give me a not helpful vote for giving "Wild Wild West" a good rating, but I don't care, I thought the movie wasn't that bad. Sure, it might not be much in the plot department, but it is a good comedy movie. It has a lot of funny parts… More
I know a lot of people will give me a not helpful vote for giving "Wild Wild West" a good rating, but I don't care, I thought the movie wasn't that bad. Sure, it might not be much in the plot department, but it is a good comedy movie. It has a lot of funny parts such as when Will Smith and Kevin Kline are showing their inventions to each other such as a chair that can turn you upside down to where you can see under the train, and when they are both trying to impress Rita (Salma Hayek). I also thought that the movie had some decent special effects, not some of the best, but some of them such as the huge walking spider worked well enough for the movie. I agree with everybody that "Wild Wild West" has a choppy plot and that it isn't Will Smith's best movie, but for me it worked in the comedy department, and that was enough. Bottom line: If you want to see a flawless movie in terms of plot and every other critical aspect, don't get this one. But if you just want to see a movie that will make you laugh and keep you entertained for the most part, I recommend getting "Wild Wild West." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000.
Coxxie M

big metal spider? bad idea.
Bobby H

I have never been a fan of spoofs, I went into this movie thinking that I would hate it and I was surprised. What I really liked about this film is why it's obviously out there and far off from an actual western, the spoofs in this film, are creative. Unlike most hollywood… More
I have never been a fan of spoofs, I went into this movie thinking that I would hate it and I was surprised. What I really liked about this film is why it's obviously out there and far off from an actual western, the spoofs in this film, are creative. Unlike most hollywood spoofs we see movies try to gain stardom at other movies expenses, this one does not. It simply has some funny stuff that you would never see in the west for real, but it works. Will Smith surprised me as well. I thought this might be the only Will Smith film I did not like but he showed what kind of actor he really was taking a position in the wild west - and shots where most people would take offense in, for the entertainment of the movie. It shows what kind of actor he is and what kind of sense humor he truly has. This movie was not a classic 5 star for me only because I am a fan of films that are more serious, but it's still a hell of a movie, and surprisenly actually has a real good plot - something else missing from todays hollywood spoofs. This movie is another must see Will Smith flim.
Red L

The spider is pretty cool, the movie is not.
Candy R

Good actors but why did they pick this movie. Poor plot.
Dan S

Pretty awful.
Keysha H

I liked it..I know I shouldn't..but I do.
Mike S

Silly, but I somehow really enjoyed it when I first saw it in the cinema. If I watched it now again, being older and wiser, I'd probably lessen my rating a notch, so I'm just gonna leave it where it currently is in my memory bank, meaning good solid fun with a nice cast and… More
Silly, but I somehow really enjoyed it when I first saw it in the cinema. If I watched it now again, being older and wiser, I'd probably lessen my rating a notch, so I'm just gonna leave it where it currently is in my memory bank, meaning good solid fun with a nice cast and pretty decent action :-)
Lafe F

This movie inspired my imagination in 1999 in more ways than The Phantom Menace ever could. I used to watch Wild Wild West repeatedly for its incredible production design and high-tech steam-driven western technology. The musical score was quite enjoyable. Will Smith brings sincere… More
This movie inspired my imagination in 1999 in more ways than The Phantom Menace ever could. I used to watch Wild Wild West repeatedly for its incredible production design and high-tech steam-driven western technology. The musical score was quite enjoyable. Will Smith brings sincere fun to all his movies. The variety of action scenes was astounding, with bar fights, run-away wagons, train chases, cornfield dashes with flying razor discs, and combat with thugs aboard a giant mechanical spider machine. Very imaginative concepts for a big screen, but I don't know how it relates to the TV show, because it's never been re-run much in Canada.
Lewis C

That mechanical spider was just silly, but Salma Hayek more than makes up for that.
Rachel F

So funny. It was great.