Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection

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Summary: "Fear and Loathing. . ." shows it doesn't pay to do drugs!
Review: It sure doesn't! For anyone who has ever vowed a drug-free life, but wants to know what they feel like, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is for you! The extreme camera angles, the blurred, intense pace, and the trippy (and actually, humorous) naration by our "hero" Raoul Duke make this movie an unforgettable experience. Yes, it't true, the plot is a little hard to follow, and the characters are hard to sympathize with, but that's what makes the movie such a head rush. You see Raoul Duke and his lawyer, the frightening Dr. Gonzo, as they inhale, inject, and smoke what seems like every drug known to man into their bodies. Probably the best thing about this movie is how unpredictable it is. You don't know what these two druggies are going to do next, and that fact has you on the edge of your seat, frightened more than a person on an acid trip. "Fear and Loathing..." Is one wild ride.

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Summary: If I wanted to see druggies, I'd hang out in downtown Flint!
Review: Did you understand the plot? Neither did I. This was a very realistic film, unfortunately, reality is often confused and boring. The camera angle never stayed in one place, making the confusion even more elaborate. Nothing was explainable, everything happened too fast. Just because a movie is true to real life, doesn't mean it's any good.

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Summary: no one gets this movie!
Review: I'd just like to say, this movie isn't about drugs. What it is about is the pursuit of the American Dream...true happiness. If you don't love this movie get a "deep" movie, like Twister. For those of us that actually are compelled to think about what we are looking at, get this movie.

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Summary: No meaning? So what?
Review: I loved reading the customer comments on this movie, because they are so directly in opposition to all of the professional reviews that trashed it.The customer comments convinced me to finally buy the DVD, despite friends saying, hesitatingly, ah...rent it before you buy it. I am very glad I bought it. Oh, well, Terry Gilliam can do no wrong as far as I am concerned. So, this is a very, very funny movie about two guys who really get loaded and overloaded on a couple of business trips to Las Vegas. It has no deep meaning; it is the narration of an experience. I think the movie was so trashed and hated because drugs are not supposed to be funny, and any comedy based on drugs is politically incorrect.These guys took all these drugs, and got away with cars and hotel rooms and didn't suffer for it! There is no moral judgement in the film at all. It is simply the depiction of incidents as they happened or were remembered to have happened. Aside from the subject matter of the film, Johnny Depp's performance was one of the best I have ever seen in my life. He spent months with Hunter Thompson, learning to be him. And he succeeded. Nothing Terry Gilliam does is ever half-way. It is all or nothing, and this film is definitely an "all".

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Summary: Trash? Only if you don't have a frame of reference.
Review: My one-line review says it all in my opinion. To all of you out there who have never tried being absolutely crazy for a while (with of without drugs) this movie means nothing and probably is trash. If, however, you've tried to take life from a different angle and do something completely different (Read: Counterculture) then this movie is a wonderful hyperbole of everything to this idea stands for. So, if you're conservative and not up for doing crazy things, don't watch it, you'll never appreciate it. To the true eclectic out there who want something different than the classic "Hero always wins" sort of flick, this movie is a must.

Rating:
Summary: It was terrible.
Review: I'm sorry if I'm upsetting people by saying this but this movie was terrible. Besides the fact it had no plot, no direction, and didn't explain the whole monster outfit thing it just didn't make any sense. Although I'm sure that was the point the director should have had at least a little more consideration to his audience with alot of things. So for all those reasons I say this movie SUCKED.

Rating:
Summary: Great flick...If you been there then you know
Review: No more needs to be said really. You either get it or you don't. Depp was great, I would say this was his best showing Edward Sissorhands ranks a close second though. Hunter S. Thompson and his Gonzo Style is great.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and twisted movie.
Review: Another masterpiece by director Terry Gilliam. Love the lighting and camera techiniques, he never ceases to amaze me. If you don't have a weak heart or stomach, watch this movie!

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Summary: We Can't Stop Here Its BAT COUNTRY!
Review: I loved this movie! Johnny Depp and Bencio Del Toro are wonderful. They had me believing,that maybe the director,let them take a few hits of acid before filming. The whole movie is so trippy I thought maybe I was on drugs. The special effects, like Bat Country, are hilarious. I recommend you see this movie. I think I'll watch it again, right now.

Rating:
Summary: Hold on!
Review: I've read many reviews of Gilliam's film version of Fear and Loathing, and frankly, I'm sick of them. Most critics see this film as nothing more than a grotesque, over-indulgent, drug-fest. What I say to that is, what good true-to-life movie is not at times grotesque and over-indulgent? At least Fear and Loathing did not hold much back in the "gritty reality" section.There's just so much more to this movie than two crazies swallowing more than their fair share of drugs. It speaks tons of the heavy atmosphere of the social and political order of the time and the need for personal escape and survival. Some of the greatest moments are when Depp's character, Raoul Duke, is sitting behind his typewriter, documenting his views and thoughts that are scraped from the bottom of his soul. When he looks out the window with "the right kind of eyes" and sees "the water mark, where the wave finally broke", the heart of the movie truly shows through.As far as the quality of the DVD version goes, I was truly impressed. I saw the movie several times on the big screen and found the DVD on my home system just as exciting (if I only had a TV as big as the screen!). The sound is very open and surround elements really complement the hallucinatory scenes such as the bats swooping and screeching at the first of the movie. The color and texture of the video is also very impressive. Perhaps my favorite example of this is the scene is when the two first enter Las Vegas. The night sky is so fantastically vivid against the neon and lights of the Las Vegas strip. Don't worry, this isn't the only good part, just the scene that totally grabs me every time I see it. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro play their roles great. The way they deliver their lines, with such strange attitudes, is extremely funny. Most people will probably be talking like one of them after the movie is over. I'm guilty of that. Don't take this movie and its content so seriously people, like it is such a depressing view of America. This movie is a blast to watch over and over again!