Yar, you be here: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection > Customer Reviews

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection Customer Reviews (49 - 51 of 80 Reviews)

HELL-LUCINATIONS
More than sex, food or survival, we are creatures driven to find meaning in our lives (or so it's said by those who claim to know such things). A recent film that taps into that mindset, with varying degrees of success, is now available in a fine digital edition.

An existential morass of meaningless chaos is navigated by two chemically and morally wasted seekers in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS. More an exploration of images and spirit than plot, Terry Gilliam's adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's trip (pun intended) to Las Vegas to cover a motor cycle race is mostly a non-narrative, non-linear reflection of the mental state of Thompson's alter ego Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his sidekick/lawyer Doctor Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro).

Gilliam brings Ralph Steadman's drawings to life and delivers an overlooked comic masterpiece that's like walking through an art fair put on by the giddily drugged inmates of an asylum.

The huge cache of extras on this superb two-disc, director-approved, special edition includes a marvelously detailed and sometimes dementedly funny commentary by Gilliam recorded in London last year (2002). The commentary by Depp and Del Toro is also woth a listen. (This review refers to the Criterion edition DVD)

ROTFLMAO
In case you don't know what ROTFLMAO means, it's internet shorthand for "rolling on the floor, laughing my a** off". I am not one to laugh out loud in a theatre and generally I don't go for comedy films anyway. "Fear and Loathing" is the exception to both of those claims. This is one of the most "un-politically-correct" films in years, and a much more realistic pictures of some people some of us actually knew in the 70's who took psychodelic drugs as a normal, everyday thing. Completely irresponsible and dangerous, the storyline is completely believable. Johnny Depp nails Hunter Thompson cold and is simply hilarious. Terry Gilliam practically turned the book into the script verbatim. In fact I've never seen a closer film adaptation of a book. I saw the movie in the theatres and this was one of the first DVD's I ever bought. DVD extras include several scenes not used in the movie and a making-of documentary. One really good deleted scene involves Thompson and Gonzo drinking at the police convention in Vegas next to a visiting cop. What's wonderful is the way these guys work off of each other as they develop a total line of bull to feed the cop who hangs on every word. It's a classic snowjob, but was edited out because it moves slowly and has no bearing on the actual story. Still, it helps to show the great interaction of the characters and you won't see it anywhere but the DVD. Isn't that what DVD's were supposed to be for ? I normally agree with many news reviews of movies but not in this case. This movie never got the accolades it deserved. Except from me of course. This is bat country ! Buy it, watch it, love it for life, but as Simon & Garfunkel once said to Mrs Robinson: "most of all we've got to hide it from the kids, koo-koo-ca-choo..."

Absolutely Hilarious
This isn't your average movie. Based on the H.S Thompson novel, tt quite succesfully captures the literary insanity of Thompson's books (I'm actually 16, not twelve). Here's the scenario, two stoners running around Las Vegas. All the jokes are based around the wild, outrageous hallucinations of Raul Duke, and his "side kick" Dr. Gonzo. But damned if the many variations of the same basic joke aren't guiltily hilarious every single time. In one scene, Raul and Gonzo are in a bar, When Raul freaks out, thinking that all the bar patrons have been turned into monstrous lizards.
Weird- absolutely Funny- You bet.

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Next Page