Wild Wild West

There was every reason to suspect this would be the latest in a long line of beloved-series-turned-cinematic-monstrosities, following such dubious gems as The Avengers, Lost in Space and The Mod Squad. Wild Wild West is only part monstrosity and part faithful re-creation, as principals James West (Will Smith) and Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline) team up to find out who is kidnapping scientists and threatening to overthrow the U.S. government circa 1869. Director Barry Sonnenfeld is clearly interested in evoking the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the series, including the anachronistic satire of James Bond-like secret agent hijinks; unfortunately, while self-aware adventure may have been fresh in 1965, in Austin Powers-era 1999, hip referentiality just isn't all that hip anymore. Of course, there's always the bombastic special effects route when all else fails...except that even a giant computer-generated mechanical spider fails here, too. Wild Wild West is so frantic that it loses track of its greatest asset, the interplay between Smith and Kline, who both have fine comic timing--if only they weren't stuck in such a wild wild mess of a movie. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)