Wild Wild West (1999) DVD Review – UK

Will Smith reunites with Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld in an 1860s James Bond-style adventure packed with gadgets, steampunk inventions and spectacular special effects as Captain James West attempts to stop Dr. Arliss Loveless and his plot to create a disunited States of America.

Last visited

10 Aug 2026 (2 days ago)

Total visits

552

Runtime

1 Hour 45 Minutes

Region

Region 1

Sound

Dolby Digital 5.1

Aspect

2.35:1

Release year

1999

Details

Jim West is essentially the Wild West equivalent of James Bond. Paired with him is the eccentric inventor Artemus Gordon, played by Kevin Kline, whose strange gadgets and disguises provide the technological edge in their fight against crime. Adding to the adventure is the charming Rita Escobar, played by the ever delightful Salma Hayek. However, it is the villain who truly steals the show.

Kenneth Branagh clearly relishes his role as the wonderfully theatrical Dr. Arliss Loveless. Following a horrific war injury that left him without the lower half of his body (and yes - those parts too), Loveless has devoted his genius to revenge against the United States. Surrounded by loyal followers and an entourage of glamorous assistants, he begins kidnapping the world's greatest inventors in order to build a devastating new weapon.

As West and Gordon attempt to track him down, the film launches into a series of increasingly extravagant action sequences involving bizarre gadgets, steam-powered weaponry and elaborate contraptions. All of this eventually builds towards the film's most infamous creation - a gigantic mechanical spider constructed from nothing more than steam-age technology.

Picture & Sound

The disc itself looks superb. The colourful Western landscapes and elaborate Victorian machinery are reproduced with excellent clarity, and the soundtrack makes full use of the surround channels to bring the clanking steam engines and explosive action sequences to life. Even if the story does not always live up to expectations, this is certainly the kind of DVD you could use to show off your home cinema system.

Menu & Extras

If the strong audio-visual presentation is not enough to demonstrate the appeal of DVD, then the extras certainly help. The disc is packed with bonus features including documentaries, commentary tracks and even DVD-ROM content - something that was quite impressive for the time. Highlights include the "making of" documentary and the Will Smith music video which was heavily promoted alongside the film's release.

Overall

Following the enormous success of Men in Black, expectations for Barry Sonnenfeld's next collaboration with Will Smith were extremely high. Unfortunately the film struggled to meet those expectations and was widely criticised upon release. Despite this reputation, Wild Wild West is far from the disaster that many people remember.

Yes, the plot is rather thin and occasionally veers into outright silliness, but that is also part of the film's charm. The movie embraces its comic-book tone with outrageous gadgets, over-the-top villains and a playful sense of humour that never takes itself too seriously. Kenneth Branagh in particular appears to be having tremendous fun with the role of Loveless, delivering a villain who is as entertaining as he is ridiculous.

While it may never rank alongside the best action adventures of the 1990s, Wild Wild West remains an entertaining spectacle if approached with the right expectations. Viewed simply as a light-hearted, gadget-filled steampunk Western, it provides plenty of visual fun - and this DVD release does an excellent job of showcasing the film's technical strengths.