Inspector GadgetMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 36 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
10 OK for kids 10+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Bob Graham

    While it is a spectacle of animatronics, digital graphics and other special effects, the actors are never overwhelmed by them as personalities. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    The movie, based on the TV cartoon series, is exceptionally pleasant, and there's just enough humor to make it enjoyable for adults. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    The image of this kitchen-magician dream robot comes at us in little jolts and spasms that have the zappy, self-contained rhythm of a fast-food tie-in commercial. Read full review

  • 38
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The plot was an arbitrary concoction. Read full review

  • 30
    Austin Chronicle |

    Like the cartoon on which it's based, Inspector Gadget has moments of absurd fun and droll wit, but they are fleeting and few. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Lawrence Van Gelder

    In the end the elaborate gimmickry of Inspector Gadget cannot conceal its very ordinary storytelling. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times | Gene Seymour

    Gadget instead ends up as another mindless, noisy thrill ride that gorges its audience on bright effects and leaves it queasy from overconsumption. Read full review

  • 20
    L.A. Weekly | Paul Malcolm

    Within a few minutes of the film's frenetic opening set piece, however, it's obvious that director David Kellogg and screenwriters Kerry Ehrin and Zak Penn have no idea how to capture the spirit of the source material. Read full review

  • 20
    The Onion A.V. Club | Nathan Rabin

    Anyone older than eight is likely to find it a ridiculously extravagant exercise in stupidity. Read full review

  • 10
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    A new standard for wretched excess is established by Inspector Gadget, a joyless and charmless disaster in which state-of-the-art special effects are squandered on pain-in-the-backside folly. Read full review

View more reviews for Inspector Gadget on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 10+ Not nearly as good as the TV show.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie has commercial tie-ins, non-stop cartoon violence, and possible bad role models for children. Kids may want to imitate the evil RoboGadget, which scares a little boy by demanding money and threatening him with knives and other weapons. RoboGadget also burns down the town after yelling, "I'm going to kick some butt!"
  • Families can talk about how this movie compares to the 1980s TV series on which it is based. Why do you think Penny, Gadget's young neice, is a great role model for little girls?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: One race-related joke. An Asian man, running from RoboGadget, screams "This is why I left Tokyo!" Conversely, Penny, Gadget's young neice, is a great role model for little girls.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: There are lots of battles between the good and evil Gadget, featuring limbs being ripped out and a disembodied talking head.
  • sex false3 Sex: No sex per se, but there does seem to be an undue emphasis on leering innuendoes.
  • language false0 Language: Not an issue
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: The movie boasts blatant commercial plugs for Disney as well as Coca-Cola, Skittles, and M&Ms candy.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Inspector Gadget Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 12 fan reviews

Critics say

No See all critic reviews

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