He was supposed to be the next Han Solo with a cowboy hat. Instead, he became a trivia answer. When people talk about Jim West Wild Wild West, they usually start with that giant mechanical spider or the fact that Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix to play a US Marshal with a penchant for gadgets. It’s a choice that has lived in cinematic infamy for over two decades. But looking back at the 1999 blockbuster, there is a lot more going on than just a failed attempt at a summer tentpole.
The movie was a gamble.
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, fresh off the massive success of Men in Black, the film tried to capture lightning in a bottle twice. It paired Smith’s charismatic, fast-talking Jim West with Kevin Kline’s eccentric, inventive Artemus Gordon. On paper, it was a sure thing. In reality? It became one of the most expensive and scrutinized films of the nineties.
The Problem with Being Jim West
James West wasn’t a new character. To a generation of Boomers, he was Robert Conrad. The original 1960s television series was essentially "James Bond on a horse." It was suave, relatively grounded, and focused on Cold War-style espionage set in the 1870s. When Will Smith stepped into the boots of Jim West Wild Wild West fans expected that same coolness, but the film took a hard left turn into steampunk absurdity.
The tone was all over the place. One minute you have Jim West engaging in witty banter, and the next, he’s escaping a magnetic collar or fighting off a tank that looks like it belongs in a Victorian nightmare.
Honestly, the chemistry between Smith and Kline is actually underrated. While the script often failed them, their "odd couple" dynamic provided some of the film’s only genuine heart. Smith brought a modern, swaggering energy to the character that felt fresh, even if it clashed with the period setting. He didn't play Jim West as a man of the 19th century; he played him as Will Smith, the Biggest Movie Star in the World.
That Infamous Mechanical Spider
You can’t discuss Jim West Wild Wild West without talking about the spider. Jon Peters, the producer, had a legendary obsession with giant spiders. He famously tried to shove one into his failed Superman Lives project (the one that would have starred Nicolas Cage). When that movie died, he simply moved his eight-legged obsession over to the set of Wild Wild West.
It cost a fortune.
The budget ballooned to an estimated $170 million, which was an astronomical sum in 1999. To put that in perspective, The Matrix—the movie Smith passed on—cost about $63 million. The production was plagued by rewrites and a sense that the visual effects were driving the story rather than the other way around.
Kenneth Branagh, playing the villainous Dr. Arliss Loveless, leaned into the camp with everything he had. Loveless was a Confederate scientist who lost his lower half in the war and replaced it with a steam-powered wheelchair. It’s a wild performance. Branagh is chewing the scenery so hard you’re surprised there’s any set left for the final act. But even his theatricality couldn't save a plot that felt like a series of disconnected set pieces.
The Music and the Marketing
If the movie was a mess, the marketing was a masterpiece. The theme song "Wild Wild West" was everywhere. Sampling Stevie Wonder’s "I Wish," the track became a number-one hit. This was peak Will Smith—the era where every movie he made came with a chart-topping tie-in single.
In some ways, the song was more successful than the film. It created an image of Jim West Wild Wild West as a fun, hip, action-packed romp. The music video alone probably did more to sell tickets than any of the theatrical trailers. It showcased the movie's best assets: Smith’s charisma, high-end production value, and a catchy hook.
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However, when audiences actually sat in the theater, they found a movie that struggled with its identity. Was it a comedy? A sci-fi epic? A western? It tried to be all three and frequently tripped over its own spurs.
Steampunk Before It Was Cool
Despite the critical drubbing, the film deserves some credit for its aesthetic. It was one of the first major Hollywood productions to go "all-in" on the steampunk subgenre. The gadgetry, the "Wanderer" train, and the clockwork inventions were visually stunning.
- The Wanderer: A luxury train that doubled as a mobile laboratory. It was arguably the coolest character in the movie.
- Artemus Gordon’s Inventions: From the billiard ball grenades to the artificial ears, the practical effects team had a field day.
- The Costumes: Designed by Deborah Lynn Scott, the outfits blended Victorian silhouettes with a rugged, western grit that still looks great on 4K displays today.
The movie looks expensive because it was. Every frame is packed with detail, even if the dialogue isn't.
Why the Critics Hated It
The reviews were brutal. Roger Ebert gave it one star, calling it a "deadly experience." Critics felt the film was soulless, a victim of the "more is more" philosophy that dominated late-90s blockbusters. There was also a palpable sense of disappointment. People wanted another Men in Black, but they got something far weirder and less cohesive.
There’s also the issue of racial dynamics. The film touches on Jim West’s status as a Black man in the post-Civil War era, particularly in his interactions with the villainous Loveless. Some felt the movie handled these themes with the grace of a sledgehammer, using racist insults as punchlines in a way that felt tonally discordant with the rest of the lighthearted action.
The Will Smith "Slump" That Wasn't
People often point to Jim West Wild Wild West as the beginning of the end for Smith’s untouchable streak. It wasn't, really. While it underperformed relative to its massive budget, it still made over $220 million worldwide. It was a disappointment, not a total disaster in the vein of Battlefield Earth.
Smith himself has been very open about the film's failures in recent years. In his memoir and various interviews, he admitted he was chasing "the win" and the "number one opening weekend" rather than focusing on the quality of the story. He’s joked about the mechanical spider and the regret of passing on Neo. That honesty has actually helped the movie’s legacy; it’s now viewed as a charmingly ambitious misfire rather than a hated piece of cinema.
Rediscovering the Fun
If you watch it now, separated from the hype of 1999, Jim West Wild Wild West is actually a decent "background movie." It’s fast-paced, the practical effects are better than the CGI of the era, and Kevin Kline is genuinely funny as a man obsessed with his own genius.
It represents a specific moment in Hollywood history—the last gasp of the big-budget, non-superhero, standalone action movie. Before every movie had to be part of a "cinematic universe," studios were willing to throw $200 million at a story about two guys and a mechanical spider. There’s something almost nostalgic about that level of risk.
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Actionable Takeaways for the Modern Viewer
If you’re planning a rewatch or diving into this era of film for the first time, keep these points in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Ignore the "Matrix" comparison: Stop wondering what Will Smith would have looked like in a trench coat and focus on the steampunk world-building.
- Watch the practical stunts: Many of the action sequences, including the desert chases, involved incredible stunt work that often gets overshadowed by the CGI spider.
- Appreciate the production design: Pay attention to the interiors of The Wanderer. The level of detail in the sets is superior to many modern green-screen productions.
- Listen to the score: Elmer Bernstein, the legendary composer behind The Magnificent Seven, did the score. It’s a classic western orchestral arrangement that grounds the movie when the plot goes off the rails.
To truly understand the legacy of Jim West Wild Wild West, you have to accept it for what it is: a messy, beautiful, loud, and incredibly ambitious attempt to reinvent the Western for the digital age. It didn't quite work, but it sure wasn't boring.
If you want to dig deeper into why this film failed while other 90s blockbusters thrived, look at the screenplay structure. The movie went through several high-profile writers, including Peter S. Seaman and Jeffrey Price, which often explains why the tone feels like it’s fighting itself. Comparison with the original Robert Conrad series is also illuminating; the 1960s show relied on tension and mystery, while the 1999 film relied on scale and spectacle. Knowing the history of the "Spider obsession" in Hollywood makes the climax of the film feel less like a random choice and more like a producer’s fever dream finally coming to life.
Watch the film on a high-definition screen to appreciate the grain of the film and the texture of the costumes, which remain the high point of the entire production. Look for the small details in Artemus Gordon’s lab—those are the moments where the film’s "expert" craftsmanship really shines through the cracks of the narrative. Even in a "miss," there is plenty of artistry to be found if you know where to look.