Let’s be real for a second. If you grew up in the late nineties, you remember the giant mechanical spider. You remember the catchy theme song that sampled Stevie Wonder. And you definitely remember the specific, weirdly intense backlash that hit the Will Smith cowboy movie, Wild Wild West, when it landed in 1999. It’s one of those cultural artifacts that feels like a fever dream. At the time, Will Smith was the undisputed king of the Fourth of July weekend. He had Independence Day. He had Men in Black. He was invincible. Until he put on the spurs and the waist-high trousers of Captain James West.
Most people look back at Wild Wild West as a cautionary tale of Hollywood ego, but the story is actually way more nuanced than "movie was bad, people hated it." It’s a fascinating case study in what happens when the biggest star on the planet makes a massive gamble on a genre mashup that nobody—literally nobody—asked for. Steampunk, Western, buddy-cop comedy, and sci-fi? It was a lot to digest.
The Matrix Mistake that Changed Everything
The wildest part about this Will Smith cowboy movie isn't actually on the screen. It’s the role he turned down to make it. Honestly, it’s one of the biggest "what if" moments in cinema history. Smith was offered the role of Neo in The Matrix. Think about that. Instead of Keanu Reeves in a floor-length leather duster dodging bullets, we almost had the Fresh Prince.
Smith has been incredibly candid about this over the years on his YouTube channel and in interviews. He admitted he just didn't "get" the Wachowskis' pitch. They were trying to explain the "bullet time" camera rigs, and to a guy who thrived on charisma and punchlines, it sounded like a mess. So, he went with what felt like a safe bet: a big-budget remake of a 1960s TV show directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, the guy who had just helped him conquer the world with Men in Black. He chose the steampunk cowboy over the digital messiah.
It was a mistake. A big one. But looking back, you can see the logic. In 1998, a Western with gadgets felt like a license to print money. Smith was chasing a formula that had worked twice before. He wanted the spectacle. He wanted the tie-in rap single. He got both, but the soul of the project felt... hollow? That’s probably the best word for it.
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Why Wild Wild West Failed (and Why It’s Kinda Fun Now)
So, why did the critics sharpen their knives so quickly? First, the budget was astronomical. We’re talking roughly $170 million in 1999 dollars. To put that in perspective, that’s over $300 million today. When you spend that much, the movie can't just be "okay." It has to be a cultural phenomenon.
The tone was the biggest hurdle. One minute, James West is trade-marking quips with Kevin Kline’s Artemis Gordon (who, to be fair, was doing some incredible character work with those disguises), and the next, they’re dealing with Kenneth Branagh’s Dr. Arliss Loveless, a villain who was—let's be honest—a bit much even for a comic book movie. Branagh is a Shakespearean titan, and seeing him play a legless Confederate scientist in a steam-powered tank was jarring. It felt like the movie didn't know if it wanted to be Blazing Saddles or James Bond.
The Steampunk Aesthetic
Ironically, the stuff people hated in 1999 is the stuff that makes the movie watchable today. The production design by Bo Welch was actually incredible. The "Tarantula" is a masterpiece of practical and digital effects for its era.
- The Desert Yacht (The Wanderer)
- The spring-loaded sleeve guns
- The magnetic neck collars
- That massive mechanical spider
If this movie came out today, it would probably be a cult hit on a streaming service. It’s got that "so weird it’s good" energy. But in the late nineties, audiences wanted their blockbusters to be cohesive. They wanted Titanic. They wanted The Phantom Menace (well, mostly). Wild Wild West felt like a toy commercial that cost more than some small countries' GDP.
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The Legacy of the Will Smith Cowboy Movie
Despite the Razzie awards—it won five, including Worst Picture—the movie didn't actually destroy Will Smith’s career. It was a bruise, not a broken bone. He pivoted to more serious fare like Ali shortly after, proving he had range beyond the summer blockbuster. But it changed the way Hollywood looked at "vanity projects."
It’s also worth noting the racial dynamics the movie tried to play with. Having a Black man as a lead in a Western in 1999 was a statement. The movie tries to address the post-Civil War tension, particularly in the scene where West has to talk his way out of a lynch mob using "improv comedy." It’s an uncomfortable, bizarre scene that feels totally out of place in a family-friendly action flick. It showed that the writers wanted to acknowledge the reality of the 1860s but didn't have the guts to actually make a movie about it.
What We Can Learn From the "Flop"
Looking at the Will Smith cowboy movie through a 2026 lens, we see a turning point in how stars manage their "brands." Smith learned he couldn't just lean on a catchy song and a smile. He had to pick better scripts.
If you're going back to watch it today, don't look for a masterpiece. Look for the sheer audacity of it. Look at the costume design. Notice how much chemistry Kline and Smith actually have, despite the clunky dialogue. There is a charm in how hard the movie tries to entertain you. It’s desperate for your love. Every frame is packed with "stuff."
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Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs and Creators
If you are a student of film history or just someone who loves a good "disaster" story, there are a few ways to really engage with this specific era of Will Smith's career:
- Watch the "Wild Wild West" Episode of 'How Did This Get Made?': This podcast gives a hilarious and deep breakdown of the production insanity, including the infamous story of producer Jon Peters and his obsession with giant spiders.
- Compare it to 'Men in Black': Watch them back-to-back. You’ll see exactly where the "Sonnenfeld Style" worked and where it went off the rails. It's a masterclass in how tone can make or break a high-concept idea.
- Read Will Smith’s Memoir 'Will': He dedicates a significant amount of space to this period of his life. It’s a very human look at how success can blind you to your own bad decisions.
- Explore the Steampunk Genre: If you liked the visuals of the movie but hated the plot, check out The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It’s the "real" version of the vibe the movie was chasing.
Wild Wild West is a loud, expensive, messy piece of cinema history. It’s the definitive Will Smith cowboy movie, for better or worse. It’s the movie that taught a superstar that even the biggest heart and the widest smile can't save a mechanical spider that nobody wanted to climb on. But hey, that song still slaps at weddings.
To truly understand the shift in Smith's career post-1999, track the box office performance of his next five films. You'll see a distinct move away from "gimmick" movies toward character-driven narratives like The Pursuit of Happyness. The failure of James West was arguably the best thing that happened to Will Smith the Actor. It forced him to stop being a "Product" and start being an Artist again.