Search - Wild Wild West on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Brief Nudity, Sexual Situations, Western Violence Movie Release: 1999 DVD Release: 11/30/1999 Format: DVD - Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Total Copies: 19 Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Western, Adventure Comedy, Comedy Western, Buddy Film See Also: Wild Wild West

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, All Movie Guide

Will Smith - James T. West
Kevin Kline - Artemus Gordon / President Grant
Salma Hayek - Rita Escobar
Kenneth Branagh - Dr. Arliss Loveless
Ted Levine - Gen. McGrath

What's really wild about this disc is the sound and video quality. The gunshots sound great (Dolby Digital 5.1) and the cheesy sight gags look good too (widescreen, 1.78:1 aspect ratio). Special features include the original trailer, production stills, and short documentaries on the film's wardrobe, props, special effects, and supporting actresses. There's also a 15-minute HBO promo that doesn't add much and gives away all the good jokes. The director's commentary is a slow, but sometimes entertaining look into Barry Sonnenfeld's psyche (dislikes Kevin Kline's whining, likes Salma Hayek's behind).
The best behind-the-scenes footage, including the story of how Will Smith broke Sonnenfeld's hand, is in the DVD-ROM's "Mind Projection Theater" feature. Elsewhere on the DVD-ROM, gamers can install an interactive game, and dedicated readers can plow through essays on the history of the Western genre and of TV shows adapted into movies.
The disc also includes two music videos from the soundtrack. But after watching the rest of the extras, many of which prominently feature the theme song by Will Smith, only the most dedicated Smith fans will want to hear it again. ~ Jen Muehlbauer, All Movie Guide