Is Dr. Claw actually scary in this version?

Not really. Unlike the cartoon where he was a mysterious, deep-voiced shadow, here he's played by Rupert Everett as a flamboyant, over-the-top villain. He's more 'pantomime' than 'menacing'.

Does it follow the plot of the cartoon series?

Loosely. It's an origin story, so it explains how he became a cyborg, which the cartoon never really focused on. However, it changes his personality from a confident-but-oblivious bumbler to a more generic 'nice guy' hero.

Is there a lot of 'adult' humor?

There are a few double entendres that will go over kids' heads, and a weird scene involving a 'Robo-Gadget' that is slightly more aggressive, but it stays firmly in the PG territory.

Inspector Gadget

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie1999

42%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Matthew Broderick has a helicopter in his hat, but this clunky 90s reboot never really gets off the ground.

4.2/10

20%

19%

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Inspector Gadget

movie

PG, 1999

42%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Matthew Broderick has a helicopter in his hat, but this clunky 90s reboot never really gets off the ground.

4.2

20%

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4.2/10

20%

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Screenwise Verdict

This is a prime example of a 90s studio cash-in that doesn't understand its own source material. It strips away the charm of the cartoon and replaces it with frantic pacing and low-brow gags.

Unless your kid is specifically going through a 'robots and gadgets' phase, you can skip this. It's not just dated—it's genuinely not very good. There are better ways to spend family movie night than watching a movie that critics and audiences almost universally panned.

Age Fit

Best for kids aged 6 to 9 who just want to see things blow up and people fall down. Anyone older will likely find the script painful.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It centers on a positive relationship between Gadget and his niece, Penny, but leans heavily on mean-spirited slapstick and bathroom humor that hasn't aged gracefully.

Imaginative

The gadgets themselves are inherently fun for kids, but the movie's execution is formulaic and lacks the cleverness of the original source material.

Safe

Standard cartoonish peril and slapstick. There is an explosion at the start that might be a bit much for very sensitive toddlers, but it's mostly harmless fluff.

Enriching

There's very little here beyond low-brow entertainment. It doesn't offer much in terms of ethics, problem-solving, or emotional growth.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Gadget fascination is a real thing for younger kids; seeing a man turn into a human Swiss Army knife still holds some basic appeal.
Penny and Brain are the actual competent heroes, which can be a fun dynamic for kids who like seeing the 'sidekicks' do the heavy lifting.
Rupert Everett as Claw is doing the absolute most, leaning into a campy villainy that might get a laugh out of parents.

⚠

What to Watch For

The dated CGI is rough. In 2026, these effects look less like movie magic and more like a glitchy retro video game.
There's a fair amount of crude humor—fart jokes and mild suggestive puns—that feels like a desperate attempt to keep adults awake.
The opening scene involves a car explosion and a character being 'rebuilt' that might be slightly intense for the very young, though it's played for laughs soon after.

Conversation Starters

"If you could have one gadget built into your hand, what would it be?"
"Why do you think Penny is better at solving the mystery than the adults are?"
"Is it better to have high-tech tools or to use your brain like Penny does?"

Deep Dive

The live-action curse

Before every cartoon was getting a gritty reboot, we had the era of 'wacky' live-action adaptations like this one. Inspector Gadget (1999) falls into the trap of thinking that more is better. More gadgets, more sound effects, more frantic energy. But in the process, it loses the simple, bumbling charm of the original show.

Matthew Broderick is fine as the lead, but the script gives him very little to work with other than being a human prop. The film relies heavily on physical comedy that feels more exhausting than funny. For a modern kid, the visual effects are going to be the biggest hurdle. We've reached a point where even low-budget YouTube creators have better compositing than a 1999 Disney blockbuster.

If you're looking for something in this vein that actually works, you're better off showing them the original animated series or even something like Spy Kids, which nails the gadget-fun vibe with much better storytelling.