Rating: 
Summary: Hasn't lost its effect on the "small screen"
Review: Thompson's Fear And Loathing is rich and vibrant and has lost none of its hallucinogenic quality on the small screen. The DVD picture and sound is rich and clear.Check out the deleted scenes, some of your favorite scenes which were in the book that somehow got left out of the film, may be in there! A MUST ADD to the collection for Gilliam, Thompson, Depp, cult classic, and everything-in-between fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Recommomend to any Gilliam and Hunter S. Thompson fans!
Review: Just have to say that the boook is my all time faviorite and the movie version is a strong interpretaion of the story. Depp is fantastic and Raoul Duke aka Thompson. The quality of the transfer is superior, but the special features are no big deal. Two or three deleted scenes is all. A director commentary track, or narration by Thompson would make this one a must. Maybe on the Criterion edition? The widescreen is the only way to see this film, outside of a theater. You can't miss if you dig the story.
Rating: 
Summary: What a lousy rendition of a classic
Review: I have had my copy of Fear and Loathing for over 20 years, its dog eared pages re-read umpteen times. While the book is hysterically funny, the fact is that not very much actually HAPPENS in this story, other than wandering around Las Vegas in various states of mind and paranoia. Hunter Thompson's strength is his phrasing and power of observation which the movie tries to capture with Depp's voice-over but it just doesn't work. Maybe another voice would have worked better. Unwatchable.
Rating:
Summary: Step outside your brain with Hunter Thompson as your guide.
Review: Fans of Hunter S Thompsons works will really enjoy this DVD. Director Terry Gilliam does a great job of bringing the now cult novel 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' to the screen. Gilliam vividly depicts Vegas through the eyes of our heroes Raul Duke and Dr Gonzo. Not a movie for the whole family, not a movie for everybody, but if you appreciate Thompson, you will like it! The DVD includes some nice extras: making of featurette, trailer, and deleted scenes 8-). Peace & Fun, Mashke
Rating:
Summary: Great Extra Features!
Review: This version of the DVD is worth it simply for the extra features on the disc. The movie disc itself includes THREE separate commentary tracks, one with director Terry Gilliam, one with the producer and principle actors, and another with Hunter S. Thompson himself. These commentaries give great insight into the story and the movie. The extra features disc is chock-full of interesting materials and photos.
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Summary: Absolutely Hilarious
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Get the Ten Strip on the Desert Strip
Review: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" Review Though it was greeted with lukewarm reviews and mediocre ticket sales, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was a wonderfully made movie that catches every essence of Hunter S. Thompson's word. The movie follows Thompson's drug induced alter ego, Raoul Duke (played by Johnny Depp), and his doped up Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo (played by Benecio del Toro), as they travel in pursuit of the "American Dream." Based on the 1971 novel of the same name, the (drug) counterculture comedy was a roller coaster ride on LSD. Due to its graphic depiction of drug use and its effects, the film was looked at as a "plotless movie about drug addicts." I found these reviews a little hard to swallow, though. True, the movie is about drugs and how those on them function differently from the "sober" half of society. Those who are opposed to drugs on the screen (or drugs in general) could easily damn the movie for its content. Moreso, though, it is a lifestyle that few get to see. It is an ADVENTURE for the ambiguous "American Dream." Being undefined, this pursuit is almost aimless. This, however, does not mean the movie does not have plot. The search for the "dream" and their experiences with others is the real story here. It just doesn't have any real closure. Throughout the film, the story follows the book pretty closely. The movie begins with Duke and Gonzo speeding through the desert on their way to the Las Vegas. Being a writer, Duke has been sent to cover the Mint 400 Race, a motorcycle exhibition that takes place in the desert near Vegas. Having received the assignment while "relaxing" with Gonzo, Duke decides to make the trip more "pleasure" than "business." They purchase a new car (the Red Shark) and fill its trunk to capacity with nearly every drug imaginable. Upon arriving in Vegas, the duo begins their mad drug fed romp through the "sin city." They terrorize the desert town without trying to get caught. Their diet, consisting mainly of grapefruits and the contents of their trunk, provides them with enough sustenance to stumble from casino to casino. Duke attempts to report on the Mint 400, but finds no glory (and no hint of the American Dream). For a time, the two are seperated, as Gonzo returns to LA for business. Upon his return, the duo continue their search for the "Dream," but quickly find interest in other activities (infiltrating a police officer conference while under the influence, drinking pure adrenaline, trashing a room and assaulting a maid, etc.) In the end, the two give up their mission and leave Vegas with unpaid hotel bills and alot of angry citizens. From start to finish, the movie pretty much parallels the book. There are even times when pieces of dialogue are verbatim. One scene that definitely does not appear in the movie (and is very oblique in the book) was a chapter based on a static recording made by "Thompson." In it, he and Gonzo make inquiries of the vague "American Dream" to dime store waitresses who can offer no real directions. With the storyline and the material similar to the book, the originality and flair of the film comes from a mix of the elements. First, the cast is a stupendous gathering of Hollywood's finest underlings - Christina Ricci as the depressed, Streisand infatuated tag along; Cameron Diaz (for a minute) as a spellbinding TV reporter; Gary Busey as the righteous but accepting Highway patrol officer; Benecio del Torro as the unbearable but faithful (to the "Dream") Dr. Gonzo. Secondly, Johnny Depp delivers the performance of a lifetime as the eccentric and insightful Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson. Also, people who have seen Thompson in interviews on TV would know that Depp truly embodied the writer in both body movements and speech. Third, with artists like Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night, and Bob Dylan on the soundtrack, the psychedelic music that accompanies the film is both fitting and mood inspiring. Fourth, and lastly, "Fear and Loathing" would never have come to the screen in the format it did if the film had not been placed in the capable and crafty hands of director Terry Gilliam. With movies like "The Fisher King" and "12 Monkeys" under his belt, Gilliam has proven himself to have an original touch and an eye for the abnormal. These can be seen in the wide angle shots of desert, the extreme close ups of the panic stricken characters, the dark lighting that accompanies the hallucinations, and the special effects that enable the audience to tread lightly on the drug trips. In the end, I saw "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as one of the better films of 1998. The acting was commendable. The directing, superb. And all in all, a damn good movie to watch if you wish to find the "American Dream" for yourself.
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Summary: ROTFLMAO
Review: 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..."
Rating:
Summary: repetitive/dull
Review: Someone I know once told me this film is brilliant and I had to see it. I had my doubts... the haze of drug-addled minds and the chaos of long, drugged-up scenes in no way appeals to me. I approached this film with a cautious but open mind. I did manage to get through the film in which Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro are both brilliant. Still, the story in no way interested me. That is not to say it would not be entertaining for some people who enjoy this kind of "storytelling". The drugs, after all, are integral to the story and how events played out. Watching, though, makes me rather... ill. In light of Hunter S. Thompson's recent suicide, I would suggest that interested parties read his works rather than watch this. Maybe you have to be on drugs yourself (or incredibly... imaginative?) to enjoy this fully.
Rating:
Summary: It Works For Me
Review: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was widely panned at it's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998. In "Premiere" magazine's end-of-the-year list of the critical consensus of the year's films it finished around 95th out of 100 films. So why does this film have such a devoted following? Answers to that can be found in this superb package from Criterion. As for the film itself, it's true to it's subject matter. Writer Hunter Thompson a.k.a Raoul Duke circa 1971 is deeply apprehensive of the decay that he perceives is at the heart of America. How does one cope with such grotesquery but with copious amounts of chemicals? The question remains in imbibing said chemicals do they help you cope or do they just fuel the fear and paranoia? I do not feel that this film advocates drug use. The preponderance of it is more of a reflection of it's central characters' dependence on it and it is played so broadly and grotesque that it would be made unappealing to any thinking person watching this film. I think where director Terry Gilliam succeeds is in showing the decay prevalent in America, Las Vegas being the magnet for said decay. I think where he is less successful is in illustrating the social upheavals of the day and the creative processes that drive Duke. Johnny Depp, however, is excellent in capturing the spirit of Duke which is apparent when viewing the real-life Thompson on the DVDs supplements. Benicio Del Toro is equally fine as Gonzo, Duke's partner in crime and attorney. As for the supplements there are three commentaries and I chose Terry Gilliam's. Like any good commentary, it sheds light on the creative processes involved in making the film and almost makes you think it's a greater film than it really is. There is a filmed segment of Johnny Depp reading correspondence between he and Thompson that is hilarious. Another involves a visit by Thompson to the set of "Fear and Loathing" that is interesting. Lastly, there is a British "Omnibus" segment on Thompson circa 1978 that shows him as a man who is weary of people not separating him from the real person and the Duke alter ego. On an eerie note, this documentary concludes with Thompson visiting with an Aspen mortician discussing how he would like his remains disposed of.
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