Rating: 
Summary: Where's your will to be weird?
Review: I really like the music of the Doors. They had many fine records. It's too bad this film doesn't live up to the same standard. One might reasonably expect a movie named "The Doors" to be about the band of that name and reputation. It's not. One might further expect such a titled film to be focused on music. It isn't. Instead, "The Doors" is almost exclusively a film about Jim Morrison, singer in The Doors, and the focus is on his rather decadent lifestyle (to the extent the film is accurate). A more appropriate title might have been "Morrison" or, "Jim Morrison and the Decadence." The film doesn't give any insight into the band, its formation, or its creative process. Instead, with respect to the band, we get many all-too-brief scenes--often with improbable dialogue. For example, early on, we see The Doors rehearsing, playing "Break on Through," when, inexplicitly, John Densmore stops playing to say it's not happening for him. So then Robbie Krieger, on cue, pulls a scrap of paper out of his pocket and says he has a song (Light My Fire). He sings a verse. Morrison, on first listen says, "These are great lyrics, do you have another verse?" Another verse materializes. The band plays less than a minute with Morrison singing. Then Ray Manzarek stops them all to say, "Give me five minutes, I need (to write) an intro"-so the band goes out to the beach. Of course then we're treated to the recorded intro to the song. The whole scene is rather unbelievable. Later in the film, backstage in the throes of a concert, when Morrison is obviously high, Densmore criticizes his behavior, without any sort of conversational prelude, by telling him: "We took drugs to expand our mind, not to escape." The script could have been written by a high schooler from L.A. The title to this review is one of the few good lines in the film. So, the film audience learns next to nothing about Krieger, Manzarek or Densmore except to know them as foils to Morrison and to perhaps infer they're all pretty square-never mind that the whole band wrote many of their great songs. By contrast, we learn all too much about Morrison-most of it unflattering. Having enjoyed his music so much I might expect to find something to like about him as a person. As portrayed, there's not much. The film is all the time all about how bad and immature he can act. For example, when Morrison's film at film school is criticized, he says, "I quit" and walks out. Then he meets Pam (Meg Ryan) and tells her his parents are dead (a lie). As another reviewer here notes, Morrison is wasted throughout the movie. We see him taking four or five acid trips and at least that many times he's drinking straight out of the bottle. I'm amazed that someone whose apparent purpose in life was to either get wasted or get laid was able to concentrate on making good music. Val Kilmer did a good job acting, including his impression of Morrison's vocals. As the film ends, however, you hear the real Morrison singing his incredible vocal on L.A. Woman and realize that Kilmer didn't quite get there-but then, who could? There are many cameos in "The Doors" including Densmore, Kreiger, Bonnie Bramlett, Paul Rothchild, Eric Burdon, Paul Williams, William Kuntsler and Patricia Keanally. Some were evident to this viewer; some were not. But as intriguing as they might be, I'm not anxious to watch this film again anytime soon.
Rating: 
Summary: The Snores
Review: On one hand, I'll give Oliver Stone credit. He spotted early on the nostalgic neo-hippie revival of the early 90's brought on by a noticable void of talented, original music from the Generation X crowd. While I am one who easily sees through the 60's as a blurred 'movement' of hypocrisy smokescreened by 'peace and love', I nevertheless recognize musical talent when I hear it, especially when compared to the eternally repetitious, three-chord odes to self-loathing of Nirvana and the false, theatrical anger of Eddie Vedder. Thus I applaud Stone for having the insight to cash in quick. However, I cannot commend Stone once again injecting his own twisted reality into what would've been an otherwise accurate film. As in "JFK", Stone has an agenda that doesn't include portraying the history of the rock band The Doors. Val Kilmer played Jim Morrison to an absolute "T", as did the other band members. But a snippet here and a soundbyte there of actual events are completely overwhelmed by how Stone sees the world through Morrison's eyes...or rather, how Stone WANTS to see the world through Morrison's eyes. Stone's unashamed sexual lust for an over-the-hill male Indian is broadcast in the first minute (at least in Natural Born Killers the aged male Indian character didn't appear until halfway through). A young Morrison on vacation with his family drive by the scene of a car accident, in which the 'old Indian' has presumably been killed. This sets the tone for the entire movie, which I had to watch half a dozen times to make it all the way through without falling asleep. Throughout the movie, whenever Morrison has writer's block, is tripping acid, is singing in concert, or is buying mint girl scout cookies from Local Troop #45, lo and behold, there is the ghost of the old Indian, dancing around a phantom fire. Why does this Indian have such relevance? We're never told. But this is Stone's world, not ours, and if we don't understand it then we're just not 'artistic' enough. The rest of the movie is simply filler designed to glorify the 60's some more. Facts are twisted to suit what Stone wants people to think happened, rather than know what actually did happen. I've compared movie scenes to real footage of some of the Doors' concerts portrayed...in all cases, Stone goes way, way overboard trying to portray Morrison as the anti-establishment rebel he never was...at least not to such an absurd degree. The scene of Morrison singing the verse "...girl, we couldn't get much higher..." against the wishes of the TV station did indeed happen, but in real life Morrison isn't taunting the cameraman nor masturbating on stage like he is on Stone's planet. Jim Morrison was a brilliant poet, and Manzarek and Co. were great musicians. All actors did superb jobs portraying them...when they were allowed to. Unfortunately, far too little time is alloted letting these fine actors do their jobs. Rather, they are being used as puppets by Stone to create a false reality, the reality Stone obsessively wants to exist, in which acceptable, liberating behavior is defined by cocaine overdoses, sex with strangers, and witchcraft rituals. The Doors you listen to are nowhere in this movie. Avoid like a bad acid trip.
Rating:
Summary: "Poet", eh?
Review: If you want to see a drunk guy for two hours this is the movie for you. This guy was supposed to be some kind of a poet...Right??
Rating: 
Summary: Good Movie.....
Review: ....but I just have one quibble. Is it me, or does everything Val Kilmer says in this movie sound like a chant or reading from some book on the meaning of life, and serpents and the garden or whatever just pops into his head? I understand that Jim Morrison was a brilliant, original thinker and "poet", but did the guy ever just talk like a regular person? Could the band really function with a frontman who was in a constant state of drunkeness or high on acid? As Kilmer plays him, Morrison never had many thoughts that didn't come from a book or other obscure source and after about an hour, his one-note performance wears really thin (the scene in the desert, while visually stunning, has some of the worst dialogue I've ever heard!)and you just want him to drop the facade and let us see the real Jim. The musical performances are very well staged and with the exception of an inaccurate re-creation of the band on "Ed Sullivan" (Morrison didn't leer into the camera and exaggerate the word 'higher')the film seems fairly close to capturing the real thing and the heady times of the Doors popularity. The bonus disc of bonus material is a worthwhile addition to this set. This is, in my opinion Oliver Stone's masterpiece. I just hope he goes back and does some re-balancing of the colors in this film, then it will be a true classic.
Rating:
Summary: Okay...
Review: As a big Jim fan, one might expect me to get angry at the way he's portrayed but it's pretty much all true...to a point. One must realize that Jim had many sides and wasn't just a crazy rockstar...
The acting was great and the film was great too but I once read somewhere in Angels Dance and Angels Die a quote that struck me as very true: This is probably the only case where the people portrayed are more beautiful than the actors themselves, meaning Jim and his GF pam.
Rating: 
Summary: Break On Through to the Otherside
Review: This is an excellent film about Jim Morrison and the Doors. While it is true that it is not completely accurate(Oliver Stone directed it so how would it be)and is sometimes way over the top it is still an entertaining and intresting movie. I've watched it several times(I love the Doors and Jim)and it holds up to the repeated views. If you like classic rock or the Doors then I would encourage this because it is a great picture of the 60's and of Jim. Val Kilmer does a superb job as Jim. He looks, speaks and even sings like Jim. Meg Ryan is good as his wife. Anyways I highly reccomend this!
Rating:
Summary: Jim is alive
Review: This movie was amazing. I watched an interview dvd with the doors prior to it, and this was taken exactly from what they said. Every inch of this movie was from the mouths of the real people, so accurate and he really looks like jim alot in this.
Rating:
Summary: Val Kilmer plays Jim Morrison well, but DOORS history wrong!
Review: What a shame the director Oliver Stone (Or former DOORS members) didn't insist on keeping details accurate about Jim Morrison and the musical group he lead during the late 60s! I have read a biography of Jim Morrison, and there was SO much material to work with that ACTUALLY happened. Why do the movies have to "invent" past events? I'll give examples in a minute, but the reason I am upset is that Val Kilmer played Jim Morrison so convincingly that this was a colossal waste for Oliver Stone and company not tell Jim's life-story truthfully! *SPOILERS*- you may not want to read if you haven't seen movie-
I can understand the Indian spirit that pops up occasionally in the movie (even though I doubt that ever happened) because at least there was a connection to Jim's life- when he was a child he saw American Indians injured on a highway and believed one of the dying Indian's soul entered his mind (there is a line in the song "Peace Frog" about that). I understand creative touches that don't take away from the facts of a true story or biography. Here's where I have a problem: THESE THINGS I AM ABOUT TO LIST *NEVER* HAPPENED (outright lies): 1) Jim did NOT quit film school. He graduated and then teamed up with THE DOORS.
2) Jim's live-in girlfriend Patty (spelling?), played well by Meg Ryan, became friends with Jim's mistress when they actually met (remember the Thanksgiving scene when there is a "catfight"- no way that happened) I doubt the "other woman" drank blood either.
3) There was never a "Light My Fire" commercial (scene when Jim supposedly has a fit when he sees commercial on television).
4) Andy Warhol incidents never occurred, at least I never read about it, and there were PLENTY of more interesting stories from Jim's life like when he was hit over the head by a whiskey bottle from Janis Joplin. Anyway, I hate to be so negative because the movie got some things right, like the band's one and only performance on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW. I felt like the film had so much potential but only delivered about half of what was capable. Too bad!
Rating:
Summary: The Doors of Perception
Review: Val Kilmer gives a stunning performance. This movie is about how the rock group The Doors came to be. It is mostly told looking through the usually intoxicated and drugged up frontman, Jim Morrison's eyes. You are drawn into his confusing world and see his visions. The casting is incredible. I have never known much about The Doors, but after seeing clips of the real Morrison on the second disk, you realize how well casted Val Kilmer was. Kilmer even sang the songs in the movie. A story that director Oliver Stone tells is how Kilmer challenged him to listen to a recording of him as Jim Morrison and a few songs of Morrison himself and try to guess who was singing which songs. Stone could not tell the difference! The whole band was well cast. Cast interviews and deleted scences are found on the second disk. Oliver Stone did a fine job. I really don't know how else one could tell such a tale or get you to share the high quite like Stone. But Kilmer's work alone warranted a 5 star rating for this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Snakes, Indians and Witches...
Review: is what this movie should have been titled. Jim Morrison appears drunk and high in 99.9% of the scenes in this movie which I found dissapointing. Val Kilmer does a GREAT job as the Doors frontman. Maybe it's because I grew up in the late 70's, but I didn't really understand Oliver Stone's need to show us what it's like to be on acid and all the while reciting weirdo poetry like Morrison does in this movie...I mean, what's with the indians, snakes, etc? I would have prefered a straight story on the band, this movie is about Jim Morrison. It's an interesting and different movie that's for sure. The dvd menus are cool...like something from the 1960's.
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