inspector gadget ( pg ) . ( walt disney pictures/buena vista international ) director : david kellogg stars : matthew broderick , rupert everett , joely fisher , michelle trachtenberg , dabney coleman , rene auberjonois , michael g hagerty , voice of don adams . this pedestrian and largely unfunny adaptation of the popular children's cartoon series joins those other woefully miscast , misguided live action adaptations of animated series ( the flintstones , mr magoo ) in the cinematic wasteland . a strangely uncharismatic matthew broderick ( remember his glory days as ferris bueller ? ) steps into the shoes of the robotic sleuth with more gadgets than a hardware store , but he is clearly out of his depth . broderick plays john brown , a security guard who dreams of becoming a police officer in riverton . his wish comes true in a most unexpected way after he is severely injured while attempting to stop a break in at the laboratory where he works . brown becomes the guinea pig in a revolutionary experiment conducted by the beautiful scientist brenda bradford ( joely fisher ) aimed at creating a robotic cop . he ends up looking like a cross between the six million dollar man and robocop , without the inventive genius of either ! gadget's first case involves trying to solve the murder of brenda's father , which brings him up against the villainous industrialist claw ( rupert everett , in a complete contrast to his recent role in an ideal husband , etc ) , who creates an evil version of inspector gadget and sets about creating havoc in the city . the less than cluey inspector gadget gets plenty of help from his inquisitive and intelligent niece penny ( michelle trachtenberg , from harriet the spy ) and her dog brains . david kellogg's direction is ham fisted and unsubtle , and the film has plenty of flat moments , especially for older audiences or those who fondly remember the '80's cartoon with some affection . the special effects are occasionally quite good , but more often than not they are distinctly second rate and unconvincing . the performances are suitably camp and unconvincing . everett hams it up nicely as the arch villain of the piece , and almost steals the movie . some of the film's best lines belong to the gadgetmobile , the wise cracking , talking car with attitude , whose antics will probably delight younger audiences . don adams , who provided the voice of gadget in the original series , gets a brief cameo here providing the voice of brains , the dog , in some nonsense during the final credits . admittedly , inspector gadget is comic book stuff , but still some effort should have been made to accommodate those audiences older than eight years old who will inevitably be dragged into the cinemas . the biggest problem lies with the uneven script , which can't seem to make up its mind whether it should be over the top comic book fantasy or not . there are a few clever in-jokes throughout the film ( such as the godzilla send up ) that provide a few chuckles . unfortunately , the best and most inspired moments come too late , during the final credits . sadly this disappointing film is a case of no go gadget ! 
