Inspector Gadget 2

Inspector Gadget 2 (IG2) is a live-action direct-to-video comedy film, released to VHS and DVD in March 2003. It was based upon the cartoon series created by DiC Entertainment and is a direct-to-video sequel to the 1999 Walt Disney Pictures film Inspector Gadget and also released by DIC Entertainment. It was filmed in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The second film departs slightly from the first one. Inspector Gadget and Dr. Claw are never referred to as John Brown and Sanford Scolex – their respective civilian names from the first movie, though Claw's communicator clearly is labeled "Scolex Industries", indicating that his name is still Sanford Scolex. In addition to this, D. L. Hughley, who reprises his role (voice) of the Gadgetmobile, is the only actor from the 1999 film to do so. Also, Gadget's love interest from the first movie, Dr. Brenda Bradford, is gone and is replaced by G2. Inspector Gadget is also more goofy, dim-witted, and foolishly inept than he was in the first film, and is unable to control his now glitch-ridden gadgets. As a homage to the original cartoon, Claw's face is never seen and he speaks with a deep, gruff voice. In the previous film, Claw's face was visible and he was depicted as an upper-class businessman. He appears to be older in age than he was in the original, although the story takes place only four years later.
== Plot ==
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Four years after the events of the first film, the evil genius, Dr. Claw (Tony Martin), escapes from Riverton Prison. Chief Quimby (Mark Mitchell), Mayor Wilson (Sigrid Thornton) and Baxter (Bruce Spence) unveil a new upgraded female Gadget-type android Gadget Model #2 (G2 for short) (Elaine Hendrix), to replace the now malfunctioning Inspector Gadget (French Stewart) believing that he won't succeed with his glitches. Gadget soon falls for G2, but she turns down his offer to join forces, saying she works alone, having Quimby to tell Gadget to step down from his job and also Gadget infuriates chief Quimby after Gadget arrested his mother for going .3 miles per hour over the speed limit (which Gadget called "Drag Racing") and for driving without a license.
Meanwhile, Dr. Claw has fled to a deserted Bowling Factory headquarters with new henchmen he released from prison, Brick and McKibble. Dr. Claw plans to steal 5 trillion dollars worth of gold from the Federal Reserve in Riverton, stalling the city from the crime with a weapon.
Gadget's niece, Penny (Caitlin Wachs) points out a job ad in the newspaper for minions of Claw. Gadget goes undercover to the bar as a hooligan, but ends up causing a bar brawl, which G2 later breaks up. Penny, wanting to prove to Gadget her ability as a detective, also goes to the bar with Brain (Gadget's dog), and finds out Claw is planning a heist at the Concentrated Industries warehouse and tells Gadget and G2. Despite being warned by Quimby that he'll be fired if he goes within 100 yards of G2's stakeout, Gadget goes and ends up sabotaging it while trying to help, allowing Claw's minions to escape with stolen ion fuel cells. Quimby, instead of firing him, makes him spend his next 3 days at work as a bathroom janitor.
Later, Gadget attends a science convention after Penny receives a magazine letter note saying that he can catch Claw there and tells him that this could be a trap. While there, two of Claw's henchmen disguised as fanguys plant a circuit override chip on Gadget's hat. Gadget is then controlled by Claw and ends up causing chaos, ruining the science convention and upsetting the Mayor and Claw's henchmen use the resulting distraction to steal a protoid laser. Penny and Brain witness it, but although unable to stop the theft, obtain a bowling shoe from one of the henchmen. Despite the fact that Gadget has enough evidence from scientists including Baxter to prove that it wasn't his fault, Quimby fires Gadget for failing to stop Claw and causing $100,000 in damages at the science convention. Gadget tries to find a new job, but he gets fired due to his glitches messing up everything. Meanwhile, Claw and his henchmen are now free to steal anything they want without Gadget stopping them.
Later, while Gadget is trying to find a job searching in a newspaper, Penny shows Gadget the bowling shoe after she investigated it while she was at the science convention searching for clues and offers to help him catch Claw, but Gadget refuses to both continue pursuing Claw and let Penny continue working on the case before adding that he has a surprise new job due to not being a crime fighter anymore and being fired by Quimby. Penny sees this as him not believing in her, but soon decides to solve the case herself along with Brain. A few days later, Quimby, the Mayor and G2 attend the Mayor's fundraiser (at which Gadget is working as the doorman) and Claw steals a 20 pound ruby on loan from the Rajah of India by distracting the guests with laughing gas. G2 is not affected by the laughing gas effect and tries to catch Claw, but fails when she is restrained by a giant magnet brought along by Claw, causing the Mayor to demand that Quimby deactivates her because of the failure, and end the Gadget program for good. Gadget tries to comfort her, but she tells him there is nothing he can do.
Meanwhile, Penny and Brain break into the abandoned factory Claw is using as his hideout, having traced the shoe's origins to it. Claw and his minions soon return following the theft of the ruby. While hiding, Penny and Brain overhear Claw's plan and try to escape, but Penny is captured. Brain finds Gadget, who has just reactivated G2, and they use an experimental dog translator collar created by Baxter to allow Brain to tell them of Penny's predicament and Claw's plan. Realizing that his niece was right but he refused to listen to her, Gadget tells G2 that Penny is in trouble and she decides to help him save her. Claw and his henchmen later activate his secret weapon, which is a laser made up of the three stolen components that if combined, freezes time in Riverton, allowing them to rob the Federal Reserve with ease. Gadget and G2 however avoid the weapon blast and hurry to the Federal Reserve where they find Claw and his thugs stealing its money.
Claw, Brick, and McKibble escape with Penny and he orders his other minions to hold them off. G2 and Gadget switch chips in order to help Gadget end his glitches and, despite not being perfect in action, G2 manages to stop half of Claw's gang with her new glitches. Meanwhile, Gadget uses his helicopter hat to fly after Dr. Claw, but he fires shots at him from cannons resulting in Gadget landing into trees and damaging his helicopter hat. Gadget then follows Claw with an electric scooter and manages to jump onto the roof of Claw's vehicle. However Claw drops Penny in a go-kart rigged with bombs to stall Gadget which he is able to save her from seconds before the bombs explode. G2 arrives with the Gadgetmobile and they arrive on a bridge where Claw is fleeing. However, Gadget is able to use his bubble-gum gun to stop Claw's vehicle and trap him and his thugs. The rest of Claw's gang tries to escape but they end up trapped in the smear of bubble-gum and are arrested. Gadget orders Claw to surrender, but he escapes in a rocket vowing to be back "Next time."
Gadget, G2, and Penny find the laser and reverse the effects of Claw's secret weapon by using the password "crime always pays", thanks to Penny's thinking. Quimby and The Mayor award the team for their heroism, and Quimby decides to continue the Gadget Program to form an army of more Gadget Models so they'll have more strength capturing Dr. Claw when he returns. Quimby is ordered to have Gadget and G2 on the case together for their heroism. Gadget then gives a junior inspector gadget medal to Penny for what she had done to help him. When heading to the Gadgetmobile and putting each other's hands together, Gadget and G2's hats malfunction with beeping hearts causing them to kiss, and causing fireworks to shoot out of Gadget's hat, showing how much they are in love with each other. The film ends with Quimby and the Mayor getting blasted by one of the fireworks, which causes them to shout out "GADGET!!!".
== Cast ==
* French Stewart as Inspector Gadget
* Elaine Hendrix as G2
* Tony Martin as Dr. Claw
* Caitlin Wachs as Penny
* Jeff Glen Bennett as Brain the Dog (voice)
* D. L. Hughley as Gadgetmobile (voice)
* Mark Mitchell as Chief Quimby
* Sigrid Thornton as Mayor Wilson
* Bruce Spence as Baxter
* Alethea McGrath as Mrs. Quimby (cameo)
* James Wardlaw as Brick
* John Batchelor as McKibble
* Nick Lawson as Squint
* Mick Roughan as Jungle Bob
* Siros Niaros as The Ninja
* Brian McDermott as Mr. Morgan
== References to the cartoon ==
* Unlike the previous movie, IG2 is more like the cartoon. Similarities include Dr. Claw's face never being seen, Chief Quimby having a more important role, and Inspector Gadget being more goofy and bumbling.
* As in the cartoons, Dr. Claw's face is never seen, except his mouth and (once) one of his eyes. The rest of the time, his whole body was visible (unlike the cartoon), but his eyes remain hidden by his hat and at the gala, his whole face was hidden by his gas-mask.
* Just like the original character in the cartoon, Inspector Gadget's personality revolves around acting odd, goofy, and unprofessional, mostly expressed during his job. He's also more dim-witted than he appeared in the first movie, and can never get his gadgets to work right. In the previous film, he was portrayed as being mild-mannered but good-willed and professional, and merely needed to learn how to use his gadgets properly.
* Rather than being arrested (unlike the first movie and like the cartoon), Dr. Claw escapes after being foiled by Inspector Gadget and is expected to return by saying, "I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, GADGET!".
* Like the cartoon and unlike the first movie, Penny refers to Inspector Gadget as "Uncle Gadget" instead of "Uncle John".
* As in the cartoons, Dr. Claw's voice is raspy.
* As in the cartoons, Penny plays the helpless damsel-in-distress role with blonde hair instead of brunette like in the previous movie, but in this movie, she's rescued by Gadget instead of being rescued by Brain or escaping by herself.
* Dr. Claw always goes on taking care of M.A.D Cat, like the cartoon and unlike the first movie, where, M.A.D Cat has a small role.
* Brick, McKibble and Squint were the 3 M.A.D agents that always either captured Penny or failed to get Gadget in the cartoon appear along with Jungle Bob who was the MAD agent from the first one episode "Photo Safari" and The Ninja the MAD agent from the season 2 episode "The Capeman Cometh".
* The M.A.D Logo from the cartoon (which is absent from the first movie) appears on the various vehicles used by Dr. Claw.
* A few of the scenes of the chief yelling, "GADGET!" is similar to how Colonel Nozzaire will yell to him in a number of episodes of Gadget and the Gadgetinis.
* Like the first movie and unlike the cartoon, the Gadgetmobile is still based on a 1964 Lincoln Continental Convertible except the Gadgetmobile's color is now purple with a yellow-capital G instead of the usual white and it retains the same features from the previous film.
== Production ==
Settings for this film include the Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point Campus, Queensland Parliament House, University of Queensland St Lucia Campus; South Bank Parklands Beach; Toowong Village, Anglican Church Grammar School and the William Jolly Bridge, all in Brisbane, Australia.
== Reception ==
In contrast to the negative reaction to the first opus, this film received mixed reviews. The film was heavily criticized for its over-the-top acting, writing and plot.[2] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 40% rating.
Despite mixed reviews, the film was credited for being closer to the original cartoon than the first movie. The director stated in an interview that he and the film crew wanted to return to the cartoon version, here Gadget is a goofball, Penny is a detective, and Claw's face is never seen.
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