Film / Inspector Gadget 2

Inspect the unexpected!

Inspector Gadget 2 is a 2003 Direct to Video sequel to Inspector Gadget (1999) and is both Lighter and Softer and Truer to the Text of the original cartoons. It features French Stewart as Inspector Gadget, Caitlin Wachs as Penny, Elaine Hendrix as Gadget Model 2 ("G2" for short), and Tony Martin as Dr. Claw.

It has been one year since Claw had been imprisoned, and Inspector Gadget is still the dedicated cyborg detective/protector of the city. Unfortunately, his central computer chip has been glitching lately, causing several malfunctions in the field which allowed some of his quarry to escape. This, combined with his overzealous attitude, has the mayor looking to replace him with G2, a fully-autonomous female-type Gadget robot which can do everything the Inspector can do, and more. And if the prospect of losing his job wasn't enough, Claw has escaped his imprisonment and intends to both get his revenge on Gadget and rob the Riverton Federal Reserve using a time-freezing device to rebuild his criminal empire. It's up to Gadget and G2 to stop him, and to do so, they're going to need to work together.

Previews: Teaser, Trailer.

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The film provides examples of:

• Action Girl: G2, Gadget's more competent Distaff Counterpart.
• Adaptational Intelligence: Despite having Taken a Level in Dumbass since the first movie, Inspector Gadget still has more moments of competency here than in the cartoon. Especially once he switches chips with G2, most of his klutzy antics and Cloudcuckoolander moments seem to disappear almost entirely.
• Adapted Out: Dr. Claw was the leader of an international crime syndicate known as M.A.D. in the cartoon, but his evil organization is nowhere to be seen. Instead, he is aided by two goons named Brick and McKibble and later hires the assistance of Squint, Jungle Bob, and the Ninja (though all three were MAD agents in the cartoon.)
  • A logo that looks very similar to the MAD logo can be seen at some points of this movie.
• Alternate Continuity: It is more close to the cartoon than the first film but has some differences.
• Animal Jingoism: MAD Cat is fairly relaxed at the federal reserve, but upon seeing Brain, he angrily screeches.
• Bad Guy Bar: The Blue Monkey, which turns out to be where Claw's getting his henchmen. Gadget tried to infiltrate the place, and... well, it's the thought that counts.
• Bald of Evil: Squint, one of Claw's hired minions, has a shaved head.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Overlooked during the ceremony, Gadgetmobile says he wants a citation. A cop then sticks a parking ticket on him.
• Berserk Button: Mayor Wilson and Chief Quimby press Gadget's when he learns that G2 is to be deactivated. Fortunately for them, Gadget doesn't take his anger out on them. Rather, this merely revitalizes his sense of justice and gives him new motivation to redeem himself by capturing Claw by rescuing G2 and the Gadgetmobile, taking a lead from Brain, and foiling Claw's Evil Plan with the help of Penny, who they rescued from Claw's grip after a long chase. As Gadget himself puts it after G2 tells him there's nothing he can do to help her:
  Gadget: Nothing I can do? Or is there?
• Between My Legs: In the scene where G2 splits herself in a half, her torso flies into a chain on the warehouse ceiling, and in the next shot, Squint and Jungle Bob are between G2 "disembodied" legs while she taps her right foot.
• Book Ends: The film begins and ends with someone shouting Gadget's name. Chief Quimby does this after the film's title sequence, while he's joined by Mayor Wilson during the final scene.
• Brick Joke: At the beginning, Gadget uses a billboard with Mayor Wilson's face on it as a stakeout. He pulls out one of her front teeth to peer out, giving her an ugly gap-tooth. Come the third act, she still has the gap-tooth in a genuinely funny attention-to-detail joke.
• Broad Strokes: The film basically pretends that the original never happened. The events of the previous film are never directly mentioned, both Gadget and Claw don't have their civilian identities anymore, and there are only vague references to Gadget having previously arrested Claw.
• Call-Back: Despite the attempts to distance itself from the first film, there are still a few (mostly indirect) call-backs to the previous movie:
  • During the first scene in the bowling factory, Claw uses his claw to crush and twist McKibble's nose, like he previously did to Kramer in the first film.
  • When Gadgetmobile taunts Gadget about his crush on G2, Gadget insists that his relationship with G2 is strictly professional. Gadget said the same to Gadgetmobile in the first film regarding Brenda Bradford.
  • The blue beating hearts on Gadget's hat whenever he falls in love. This time directed at G2 instead of Brenda.
  • When Brenda takes a job at Scolex Industries, Gadget asks her if she's sure she's worked out all the bugs in the Gadget program. This film shows that she did not, as Gadget's gadgets are glitching throughout the film. At least until he takes one of G2's chips in the climax.
• Character in the Logo: The logo had Gadget and G2's silhouettes within the logo.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • At the science convention, Baxter shows off a dog translation machine. Later, Gadget uses the translator at Baxter's lab at the police station to translate Brain's news that Penny had been kidnapped.
  • Gadget says "go go gadget toothbrush" and a bubble gum launcher was used. With his improved chip, he uses the bubble gum launcher with "go go gadget bubble gum launcher" to stop Claw's truck.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Brenda is completely absent despite having been the Love Interest of the first film. Her role as head of the Gadget program is now filled by Baxter and G2 becomes Gadget's new love interest. According to this animatic, Brenda and Gadget parted ways some time between the two films.
• Continuity Nod: Claw's communicator has Scolex Industries printed above the screen. Sanford Scolex is Claw's actual name, as established in the first film.
• Covered in Gunge: Just like in the first film (this time, it's gum and batter).
• Cut-and-Paste Note: Gadget gets one from a "Concerned Citizen" telling him to be at the Science Convention if he wants to catch Claw. He assumes the writer used this trope because he had terrible handwriting. Penny assumes that it's from Claw, himself, leading Gadget into a trap.
• Damsel in Distress: Penny is held captive by Claw in the final act.
• Dartboard of Hate: Claw has one of a picture of Gadget and he likes throwing darts at it.
• Delayed "Oh, Crap!": Thanks to a Chekhov's Gun, Gadget learns that Penny has been captured by Claw. However, he initially marvels over this technological breakthrough before reacting to his niece being captured.
• Denser and Wackier: This film is more cartoony than the first film.
• Design Student's Orgasm: The opening credits sequence.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?:
  • Penny is overlooked because of her age, despite being a better detective than her uncle by a large margin. Over the course of the movie, Gadget realizes this, so he gives her due credit during the closing ceremony.
  • Played for laughs after Gadget gives Penny her due. The Gadgetmobile is outside and grouses about being completely overlooked.
• Everyone Has Standards: Quimby actually tries to argue with Mayor Wilson when she orders the Gadget Program discontinued in a fit of rage after G2 failed to stop Claw's latest crime in front of her, and when breaking the news to G2, he actually sounds as though he doesn't like the idea.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Averted. Claw correctly notes that Gadget will give up the high-speed chase if Penny is put in danger.
• Evil Is Hammy: Claw. As hammy as Rupert Everett was in the previous film, Tony Martin manages to outdo him. While Everett was mostly a Cold Ham save for some over-the-top behavior throughout, Martin practically shouts all of his dialogue and revels in his evilness every chance he gets.
• Evil Plan: Claw's goal is to create a ray that will freeze time for everyone except himself and his minions, in order for him to steal the gold at the federal reserve. Unfortunately for Claw, the heroes also manage to avoid the ray.
• Exact Words:
  • When the undercover Gadget asks the Blue Monkey's bartender where to find Claw, the bartender says that Gadget must "grease a few palms" first. Gadget then fills his palm with axel grease. Cue one Bar Brawl.
  • Chief Quimby tells Gadget that he's not to get within 100 yards of the stake out to catch Claw. So he gets a measuring tape and positions himself 101 yards away from the stakeout.
  • Gadgetmobile himself falls victim to this with the word "citation". He was asking for an award for his heroism, what he got was a parking ticket.
• Eye-Obscuring Hat: Claw is given one, in order to make him The Faceless like he was in the original cartoon.
• The Faceless: Claw, unlike in the previous film, bringing the character closer to his portrayal in the original cartoon. Claw is given a wide-brimmed hat in order to keep the top half of his face covered. In wide shots, his face is cloaked in (presumably digitally-added) shadows to prevent any accidents. While his mouth and one of his eyes are seen in various close-ups, his full face is never shown on camera. (save for a few camera angle snafus briefly revealing his face.)
• Felony Misdemeanor: At the beginning of the film, Gadget arrests an elderly woman—who turns out to be Chief Quimby's mother—for drag racing and driving without a license. In reality, she was only going .3 MPH over the speed limit and accidentally left her wallet at home. While Quimby chews Gadget out for this, it is mentioned that the latter had arrested a group of girl scouts the previous week. Their crime? Selling cookies that were three days past expiration date. Riverton's crime rate has fallen significantly since Claw's imprisonment, so Gadget is bored due to the lack of real crime. Of course, Claw escapes from prison soon after that.
• Fireworks of Love: When Gadget and G2 kiss, fireworks shoot out of Gadget's hat.
• Glitch Episode: This movie involves Gadget being affected by glitches that cause him Power Incontinence, which prompts the Riverton PD to replace him with the upgraded G2.
• Happy Ending Override: By the time of this film, Gadget and Brenda are no longer a couple according to an animatic for the movie.
• Hook Hand: Dr. Claw, again. Though the mechanisms are simplified (it can no longer spin around, for instance) and the red button lights up and constantly flashes.
• Imagine Spot: A Deliberately Monochrome one when Gadget first meets G2. He imagines G2 arriving at a bank to stop a robbery, which Gadget has already stopped. G2 calls Gadget her hero and they immediately make out.
• Impact Silhouette: Gadget heroically leaps off a moving truck, only to crash face-first into a stop sign, which then bears a perfect impression of his face.
  Gadget: Who put that there?!
• Inconsistent Coloring: G2's outfit is blue in the film, but appears sliver in the film's cover art.
• Insecure Love Interest: Gadget is this in regards to G2. In his words "She's state-of-the-art. I'm last year's model."
• Irony: It's rather ironic for Claw to be operating out of an abandoned bowling factory, since the reason he has the claw is because his hand was crushed by a bowling ball in the previous film.
• I Work Alone:
  • Gadget resists Penny's help, though this is more him trying to be a protective father figure and keep Penny out of trouble. In actuality, he's excited to work with a partner, particularly if that partner were G2.
  • G2 quotes the trope verbatim, twice, whenever Gadget offers to work with her to catch Claw. She later reveals that this is because she initially thought Gadget to be stupid and incompetent.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Quimby demoting Gadget to toilet cleaning duty becomes easier to support when you remember that Gadget unintentionally sabotaged G2's stakeout, allowing Claw's minions to escape with stolen goods and enabling Claw to continue working on his evil plan.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Although Quimby can be amoral towards Gadget, he's ultimately a good guy who's willing to help his friend wherever necessary. It's hinted in that he's only so tough on Gadget because of pressure from the Mayor, and only fires him to protect him from her wrath when the next failure causes her to shut down the Gadget program—case in point, he's noticeably upset when she has G2 deactivated following the next failure, and earlier on a deleted scene shows him arguing with her about the fate of the program.
• Karma Houdini: Rather than going back to prison, Gadget, G2, and Penny merely run Claw out of town. The instance incorporates a variation of Claw's catchphrase, "I'll get you next time, Gadget! NEXT TIME!"
• Kid Detective: Penny, despite her uncle's objections. She's the one who ends up solving the case.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: After being trapped in bubblegum, Claw's mooks formally surrender to Gadget.
• Lactose over Liquor: Gadget tries to infiltrate Dr. Claw's operation by going undercover as a thug at a Bad-Guy Bar that Claw's been hiring henchmen out of. The cover begins to fall apart when our family-friendly comedy protagonist orders a "nice, tall glass of milk". When the other patrons react, he amends his order to "chocolate milk. Make it a double!".
• Late to the Realization: At the federal reserve, Claw rattles off the various other places he intends to steal from, saying there's so much to do and so little time. It takes him a moment to realize that his device means he effectively has all the time in the world.
• Laughing Gas: When Claw and his minions crash a party in order to steal a giant ruby, the villain releases a cloud of laughing gas that leaves the party-goers in hysterics.
• Lighter and Softer: The film is notably more tame than the original, given its G-rating.
• Light Is Not Good: Claw is primarily dressed in white and muted gray, and is as evil as ever.
• Logo Joke: The Walt Disney Pictures castle is completely mechanical at the beginning; in addition, the arc of light that draws itself behind said castle is replaced by the top half of a cog.
• Mayor Pain: Mayor Wilson, as seen in a deleted scene where she flat-out states that she'll have G2 deactivated if Claw's next crime succeeds if that's what it takes to ensure her re-election.
• Mooks: Brick, McKible, Jungle Bob, Squint, and the Ninja to Claw.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Gadget has one when he learns that Penny really was more competent than he had anticipated and that she had willingly risked herself to further his investigation of Dr. Claw after Brain tells him via translator that Penny had gotten kidnapped by Claw.
  Gadget: Penny was right... I should have listened to her.
• Nerds Are Virgins: Referenced in a conversation between Gadget and Gadgetmobile at the science convention. Gadget tells the Gadgetmobile to let [Gadget] know if [Gadgetmobile] sees something suspicious. Gadgetmobile responds "You mean like a Trekkie with a girlfriend?"
• Never Mess with Granny: Quimby's mother beats up a bunch of prisoners in jail.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Penny's science teacher, as revealed in a deleted scene. He was certainly embarrassed when Penny busted him for stealing ice cream from the cafeteria, but he promised to let the principal know he was responsible right away, telling his students to concentrate on their studies as he left the classroom.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Gadget and Claw are no longer referred to as John Brown and Sanford Scolex respectively, in order to be closer to the cartoon. Though hearing Penny suddenly refer to her uncle as "Uncle Gadget" instead of "Uncle John" is rather strange. The remote that Claw uses throughout the film is labelled as part of Scolex Industries (due to being a reused prop from the first film) and is the only reference of his real name still being canon.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: The cast is made up of mostly Australian actors due to being filmed in Brisbane. For the most part, their American accents are flawless, but there are a few times where they slip. One example being Claw's actor, Tony Martin, slipping back into his Aussie accent during the scene were Claw comments on Gadget's firing, particularly the way he says "deep fried and burnt to a crisp".
• Product Placement:
  • Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's are prominent in the film.
  • Claw calls Gadget "Roto-Rooter Man" upon hearing of his demotion.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Gadget manages to catch up with the getaway vehicle:
  Claw: You know, Gadget, there's one true detective in your family, and it isn't you. Too bad you didn't listen to her when you had the chance.
• Remember the New Guy?:
  • Brick and McKibble mention having worked for Claw before even though they didn't appear in the first film.
  • Baxter also did not appear in the first film and is the scientist in charge of the Gadget program rather than Brenda Bradford.
• Retractable Appendages: Gadget retracts his head into his body to duck a punch in the face.
• Ridiculously Human Robots: G2 is able to feel emotions and even cry despite being an android.
• Robot Girl: G2 is a fully robotic android, as opposed to the original Gadget, who is a cyborg.
• Rollerblade Good: Gadget's shoes can inexplicably turn into rollerblades with tiny gas-powered motors attached. The sequel ditches this for an even more implausible scooter, which comes out of Gadget's shoe.
• Running Gag: The gag of the hearts popping up on Gadget's hat showing he's in love happens three times. The third time, it also happens to G2.
• Same Content, Different Rating: Some time after 2003, the film was re-rated PG.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: In a deleted scene, Penny says she doesn't care that Gadget doesn't take her seriously as a detective as long as he has a sense of justice, which Claw obviously doesn't. When Claw tempts her to his side after capturing her, she says no and vows to put people like him in jail when she grows up.
• Single Tear: When told she's going to be deactivated for her failure, G2 experiences this. In her own way, she's surprised by this.
• Something Else Also Rises: Gadget's hat spins around when he first sees G2.
• Spanner in the Works: Gadget, after Mayor Wilson and Chief Quimby press his Berserk Button (deactivating G2), which he directs toward capturing Claw and redeeming himself, and he and G2 find out that Claw had pressed his other Berserk Button (kidnapping Penny). Claw does NOT see Gadget, G2, and Penny coming when the former two rescue the latter and the three work together to stop his Evil Plan and run him out of Riverton.
• The Stinger: Brain bucks like a chicken.
• Sunglasses at Night: Squint. He briefly takes them off during the first briefing, revealing that he has an artificial eye.
• Superior Successor: G2 is far superior to the original Gadget. She can activate her gadgets non-verbally, she's a programmed hand-to-hand combatant and her tools are more useful in stopping crime than Gadget's. Even after switching chips with Gadget, G2's glitches prove more useful than his. However, she still has her weaknesses, as demonstrated by Claw when he traps her with a simple magnet at the museum.
• Swirlie: Gadget gives himself one through sheer clumsiness.
  Gadget: Be careful in there! That toilet's got QUITE a flush!
• Tagline: "Gadget Meets His Match."
• Talking Appliance Sidekick: The Gadgetmobile.
• Take That!: At the warehouse, Gadgetmobile tells Inspector Gadget that the latter has "More factory extras than the Batmobile."
• Time Skip: Dialogue hints that this takes place roughly a year after the first film (such as Gadget referring to himself as being "last year's model" when comparing himself to G2). Though Broad Strokes is at play here.
• Time Stands Still: Claw's evil plan. He does this to gain access to the gold at the Federal Reserve.
• Timmy in a Well: After Penny is captured, Brain goes to find Gadget, and he immediately starts barking at him when he does. Gadget and G2 can tell he's trying to tell them something, but they don't understand his barks. Baxter's dog translator makes the difference.
• Too Dumb to Live: Gadget himself; it's a miracle he can survive toilet duty! In fact, it's even more of a miracle he can successfully explain away how he put a hole in a wall separating the bathroom from the main lobby.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: Unlike in the first movie where he was a man of average intelligence who just happened to be a little clumsy and gullible, Inspector Gadget's stupidity is played totally straight here, making him more like the cartoon version.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Mayor Wilson. In the first film, she was a bit of an airhead and a sucker for the press, but was tolerable enough. Here, she's an unpleasant glory hound who cares more about her re-election campaign than the welfare of her citizens.
• Truer to the Text: The film takes greater steps to be more similar to the cartoon, with Gadget being somewhat denser, Penny's Deuteragonist role, and Claw's face (save for some of the camerawork accidentally capturing it) is left primarily covered.
• Turn in Your Badge:
  • After Gadget causes a scene at the science convention. Of course, it wasn't his fault, seeing that Claw's minions, disguised as nerds, stuck a tiny device to him so Claw could use his remote control on him to wreak havoc at the convention. Gadget shows the evidence to Quimby as a last resort, but all that Quimby gives a shit about is the damage that Gadget had unintentionally caused.
  • Gadget, being a full-body cyborg, got off easy compared to G2, being a completely robotic android, who got deactivated, pending recycling, despite being clearly sapient.
• Verbal Tic: Gadget gets this, spouting a Catchphrase nearly every five seconds, particularly "wowsers".
• Villain Has a Point: During the car chase, Claw is pretty much spot-on when he informs Gadget that the true detective in his family is Penny, not him: While Penny managed to legitimately investigate Claw and figure out his plan, Gadget spent a lot of his time blundering around, failed to make any headway in stopping the supervillain at best, and at worst actively impeded efforts to apprehend him (the Concentrated Industries stakeout).
• Wastebasket Ball: The time-freezing ray hits Chief Quimby as he's in the middle of testing his skills.
• We Can Rule Together: Claw says this to Penny in a deleted scene. She obviously declines.
• We Will Meet Again: With his truck halted and his mooks restrained, Claw makes his escape by air. As ever, he shouts this at Gadget during takeoff.
• Would Hurt a Child: At the federal reserve, Claw warns Gadget to back off or else he'll use his claw to "play dentist" with Penny. When Gadget pursues anyway, Claw rigs Penny up with explosives timed to go off in one minute.
• You Have Failed Me: Mayor Wilson orders G2 deactivated after her embarrassing failure to stop Claw from stealing the ruby. Gadget reactivates her.

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