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

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection Customer Reviews (52 - 54 of 80 Reviews)

Worth watching for the performances alone
Visionary director Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys) helms this would be mess (which was originally set to be directed by Repo Man and Sid & Nancy director Alex Cox) based on Hunter S. Thompson's drug induced "gonzo" journals. The film revolves around journalist Raoul (Johnny Depp) and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) traveling to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to seemingly cover a motor cycle race, and we're treated to the duo's hallucinatory visions brought to us by the always great Gilliam. If not for Gilliam's visionary directing and the outstanding performances from Depp and Del Toro, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would be a pure waste of film. And while the film borderlines on annoying, and the film outstays it's welcome thanks to it's running time (over two full hours), Fear and Loathing still manages to funny and enjoyable for the most part, and has since become a cult classic and is now part of Criterion's DVD series. Had it been in the hands of Cox however, this could have been something really special. Look for cameos aplenty from the likes of Tobey Maguire, Cameron Diaz, Mark Harmon, Gary Busey, Christina Ricci, Ellen Barkin, and Law & Order: SVU's Christopher Meloni. The Criterion Collection DVD is a true work of art that is well worth the money, and the commentary by Depp and Del Toro; as well as the look at the controversey of the screenwriting credit (Cox receives credit as a co-screenwriter) are worth the price of admission alone.

It took two viewings to make it through
The first time I started to watch this movie I got a big headache. At my friend's urging I watched it again, and still got a headache. Maybe a little less of a headache, but that's besides the point. It wasn't a headache because the movie's plot made me think, it was a headache because the film was just damn strange.

Offbeat camera angles and dim colored lighting are used throughout the movie. The film quality seemed low and it was hard to understand Johnny Depp's narration at times. The film is very strange in all aspects, including its plot. Hunter S. Thompson (Depp) is supposed to be going to Las Vegas to cover a race in the desert for Sports Illustrated. His lawyer accompanies him on this journey for some reason. They don't really get much reporting done and spend most of the time taking illegal drugs. I kind of lost track of the plot and hardly remember how it ends. Was there even an ending? It seemed kind of like the movie just trailed off.

At one point in the movie they mention something about following the American Dream. Somehow I don't believe the American Dream has anything to do with a suitcase full of illegal drugs. Maybe it was just an attempt to find some rationale behind the entire film.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I found it hilarious at times. I laughed hysterically when at one point Thompson thinks he's standing in a bog and everyone is a lizard. When I was laughing I kept thinking, this is based on a true story, and now this guy is making money off of it? I felt kind of bad for supporting his drug-induced craziness. However, it's almost kind of an anti-drug movie in it's own strange way. Hunter S. Thompson looks like he's having the worst time of his life, and surely should have been arrested multiple times. I don't know, maybe this movie appeals more to stoners and druggies since they can relate to Thompson.

This film is definitely not for everyone. If you are easily offended, I wouldn't recommend it. If you're looking for a normal movie, you really should be someplace else. Look at the cover of the DVD. The whole movie is kind of like that.

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Review of the DVD, not the film
First things first: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, the film, is quite good. If you can stomach its content, it IS a rather fun drug odyssey with a fair amount of underlying social commentary. Some of it becomes muddled and the reviews were horrible (Ebert gave it 1/4) but I enjoy this more than Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, to be honest (which, ironically, Ebert also gave a negative review).

THE DVD

An overall wonderful experience. First, the packaging: superb. Criterion is always good at packaging their DVDs and this is one of my favorites. On the inside is an essay by a film critic and two discs. The first has the film, newly remastered under the supervision of Gilliam, along with three commentary tracks: by Gilliam, Depp and Del Toro, and Hunter S. Thompson. Wisely, they had someone interview him most of the time since he's obviously a bit of an oddball and would be prone to sitting there and saying nothing.

The second disc has some extraordinary specials, including an old BBC documentary about Thompson (whose semi-truthful novel this is based upon), TV spots, the theatrical trailer (with optional commentary by Gilliam - which I've never seen before), poster and photo galleries, Hunter Goes to Hollywood (an amusing short documentary about Thompson visiting the set of the film), a selection of somewhat bizarre letters between Depp and Thompson that date back to the pre-and-post-production of the film (Depp reads all of them to the camera for us).

Overall, one of the best DVDs I own. The film isn't a classic, per se, but it IS enjoyable. I'm sure part of my appreciation for it comes from this superb DVD, which is one of the finest I own in terms of special features.

Criterion can sometimes disappoint with single-disc DVDs priced in the $40 range but this one is fairly reasonably priced (compared to some of the others) and packed with special features to whet any die-hard fan's appetite.

A must-buy for fans, and a must-see for others - I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a blind buy for a number of reasons. It's very selective taste. You love it, or you hate it; it might be good to rent it first. But definitely rent this version, not Universal's.

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