Inspector Gadget 2
Inspector Gadget 2
After capturing Claw, all the criminals have gone into hiding. Until Claw escapes! Gadget thinks he will get the case, but everyone else has other plans. A new version of the Gadget project is unveiled in the form of G2. Strict orders are given for Gadget to stay away from G2 and every crime scene, but Gadget feels he is needed more than anyone.
Manuel Frangis reviewedMarch 26, 2025
I just watched Inspector Gadget 2 and I give it 2 out of 5 stars. As much as I loved the first movie, this one just did not hit the same. It tries to go bigger and stay true to the cartoon, but the charm is mostly gone. It feels cheaper, flatter, and honestly kind of forgettable. It still has some goofy moments and colorful energy, but overall, it did not work for me.
This time around, French Stewart takes over the role of Inspector Gadget, and while he tries hard to bring that goofy, robotic vibe, it just does not land the way Matthew Broderick did in the first one. Stewart plays Gadget more like a full-on cartoon character, which might work for younger kids, but for me, it came off as too much. His facial expressions are wild, his voice is exaggerated, and it feels like he is trying way too hard to be funny.
The plot centers around a new villain named Claw, who returns to threaten Riverton again. But even Claw feels less interesting this time. He is missing the personality and flair from the first movie. This version of Claw barely stands out, and his evil plan is just kind of there. There is no real suspense or fun twist—it all just plays out in the most basic way possible.
A big focus in this one is Gadget’s new partner, G2, a sleek, female robot who is more advanced and way more competent than Gadget. She is actually a decent character—smart, fast, and good at her job—but her scenes mostly highlight how useless Gadget has become. Their dynamic could have been fun, but it ends up being more awkward than entertaining. Gadget just keeps messing up, and it gets old pretty fast.
The humor feels way more forced in this one. There are tons of silly sound effects, exaggerated reactions, and goofy slapstick, but not much of it made me laugh. It is like the movie was trying to be funny every second, but none of the jokes landed for me. It felt like it was aimed at really young kids who would laugh just because something is loud or bouncy. That is fine, but it made the movie hard to sit through as an older viewer.
The animation and effects are also a big downgrade from the first one. You can tell the budget was lower. The gadgets look cheaper, the sets feel more like a TV show than a movie, and even the action scenes lack energy. The pacing is okay, but nothing really exciting happens. The whole thing just feels like a Saturday morning cartoon stretched into a movie with none of the spark.
I give Inspector Gadget 2 2 out of 5 stars because it has a few decent moments, and G2 was a cool idea, but the movie just felt flat and rushed. It lacks the heart, humor, and fun that made the first one worth rewatching. It is not the worst thing ever, but it is not something I’d go out of my way to see again either. Overall Inspector Gadget 2 is a disappointing sequel that loses most of what made the original fun. It tries to stick closer to the cartoon, but it ends up feeling cheap and forgettable. Not for me, but maybe little kids would enjoy it more than I did.