I don’t know what I expected from a futuristic Will Smith Western, but I shouldn’t have expected a logical plot or a single serious moment. “Wild Wild West” is a silly buddy film that embraces slapstick comedy and cheesy one-liners. The steampunk style and experimentation with CGI gives the film an amazing visual appeal, especially with its gadgets and giant mechanical spider/Star Wars AT-AT rip-off. It is difficult to judge the quality of the film since it is good for what it is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean quality acting or a quality script. I enjoy watching Will Smith and Kevin Kline dress up like women as much as the next guy, but that gives you a general idea of what type of movie you are getting into. The shining star of the film is Kenneth Branagh as the villain, Dr. Loveless. He is a master at playing sophisticated Shakespearean roles and this turn as an unrecognizable slapstick villain emphasizes his acting versatility. The film gets better as it progresses. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot at the beginning but by the time we got to the swordfight scene, I was laughing out loud. I’m amazed that Elmer Bernstein signed on to compose the score for this film. It was the film’s saving grace for me, truly capturing the classic Western feel. Your taste in movies will determine whether you love or hate “Wild Wild West,” but I think that we can all agree that the best thing to come out of this film is Will Smith’s titular rap song.
[Pictured: The giant steampunk spider machine is a total “Star Wars” rip-off, but it’s also totally cool]
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