Rating: 
Summary: What just happened?
Review: This movie makes no sense but you want to keep watching. While not quite like watching a trainwreck, the effect is somewhat the same. Randomness does work sometimes. As if following the axioms of Chaos theory, Stanely Kubrick has made a beautiful, entertaining and weird-funny and occasionally ha-ha funny movie. The progression of the movie can be episodic and choppy, but that adds to character of the movie. I highly recommend this movie when you just absolutely need a little nihilistic confusion in your life. It really is a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: "He's gonna see the big board!"
Review: Kubrick's funniest movy tells a tale of unwanted war and the means that men will go to survive. The characters are shallow, callous and purlie-truely brilliant. I loved the satire behind the severity of the subject-nuclear war. Only Kubrick could put such a flippiat voice to such a dangerous topic durring such a perilous time. He did it with the camera, acting and the late great Peter Sellers. Sellers shines in three differnt roles, playing a US president, a British officer and a German scientist-Dr. Strangelove. The irony developed is unfogettable as the Russian embasitor enters the US military strategy room trying to solve the conflict of imminent doom and George C Scott's character is overtly concerned with security of the Russian spying on their plans. If you like Wes Anderson movies-Bottle Rocket, Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaum's-then see this movie. It is clever, very funny and a Stanley Kubrick movie.
Rating:
Summary: Have You Ever Seen a Commie Drink a Glass of Water?
Review: What more could I add to the list of reviews here?This is a flawless movie, an ironic dark comedy that would undoubtedly appear on everyone's top 100 movies of all time list. The performances of Peter Sellers as multiple characters, George C. Scott and Slim Pickens are fantastic - perhaps the best of their careers. The phone call Peter Sellers has as the President with the Premier of the Soviet Union (who is apparently drunk) is an unforgettable comedic scene reminiscent of the best of the Bob Newhart "phone call" skits. If you have never seen this movie you must. Also check out "Fail Safe" with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon - an excellent, sober contemporary to Strangelove.
Rating:
Summary: quite possibly the best movie ever made
Review: I am a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick--there are very few directors who rank up there with him. This is Kubrick's best movie, and I'd definitely put it in the top five ever made. It's a dark satire, with stellar performances by George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, and Sterling Hayden. And Peter Sellers' performance in all three of his roles is one of the best I've seen. It's shot in black & white, and very beautiful. And of course in a Kubrick film, everything means something. Unfortunately it isn't a widescreen edition, and there is no commentary, but those are the only faults I can find. There's a short documentary on Kubrick's shorts and early films. There's a pretty good documentary on the Making of Dr. Strangelove. The animated menu is done simply and brillaintly. It has the original theatrical trailor for the film, which was pretty cutting edge. Also there is the trailer for Fail Safe, and for some reason they threw in the trailer for Anatomy of a Murder, though I don't really see why. Even the case it comes in is elegantly designed. This is a dvd you definitely want to get, and a movie that should be watched over and over. Definitely in the top five ever made (along with Citizen Kane, Casablanca, North by Northwest, and Fight Club).
Rating:
Summary: Essential Bodily Fluids for the DVD Collector
Review: This movie has two levels. On one, it is the kind of movie that is so funny that dead men would laugh. Though I had seen it before, my neighbors must have concluded I was nuts because I burst out laughing while returning from emptying the garbage. Thinking of the scene in which Dr. Strangelove tries to suppress a salute is that funny. In his own, usually quiet way, Peter Sellers surely was one of the funniest men ever to live. On the other level, the film is what Kubrick started with the intention of making. The project started with the intention of making a very serious and alrming statment about the threat of nuclear war. The movie was released at the Cold War when the omnipresent threat of total annihilation hanging like smog over everything we did. That this movie is able to make serious, effecting statements about this era through a comedy is surprising, yet arguably the movie is so effective only because its conclusions are premised on a comedy that has Kubrick's trademark, brisk pacing. This is a marvelous movie that has a deservedly high ranking on the AFI's list of both great films and great comedies. Unfortunately, this is not the best presentation I can imagine. Amoing other flaws, the film is in full screen rather than widescreen format. I would love to see a better edition of this film released. However, I don't regret the purchase for a moment. This is a must have for my library.
Rating:
Summary: A classic that is truly not for everyone
Review: By reading the rest of the reviews posted, one should come to the conclusion that this movie is not for everyone. The "humour" is very subdued and dark and requires a certin taste to fully appreciate. With that being said, one should probably rent this movie first to see if they will enjoy owning it. With that out of the way, several reviews here have complained about the DVD itself. There are two versions of this movie that has been released on DVD. The first version was in complete full-screen (despite the box advertising it being in multi-aspect ratio), and had no special features. The special edition (which is pictured here on Amazon) does switch ratios as the film was intended to. The special edition also has a range of audio and subtitle options (besides the Spanish only subtitle option given on the Widescreen Edition) and is the host to a few interesting documentaries. Also, although the transfer is much clearer than the VHS copy of the film, it still has a raw documentary quality to it, where grains appear from time to time. As for the movie itself, it is a film of great artistry. From the sexual combining of the planes in the opening credits to Kubrick's excellent direction. Many people will not find this film funny as in the same vein as Mel Brooke's comedies, but to see George C. Scott chew gum while talking to his mistress and arguing about the "Big Board" is quite hilarious. Also, Dr. Strangelove's speech at the end about how to save the human race not only has comedy flair to it, but also gives a light-hearted glimpse of what went through people's minds during the cold war. For how the film combines the aspects of artistry and entertainment into a solid collective, it should be hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made. Although, most people usually don't like artistry AND entertainment. There is usually too much artistry in this film for the people who are solely into films for entertainment purposes and vice versa. In conclusion, this movie is not for everyone. For people that enjoy dark comedy, satire, and Kubrick, this film will probably quench your thirsts for entertainment, but for everyone else, it would probably be good to rent it first.
Rating:
Summary: The premier film classic of the Cold War
Review: DR. STRANGELOVE is many things to many people. It is one of the most brilliant dark comedies every made. It is one of the most powerful protests against military insanity ever created. It is Peter Sellers greatest film, and Stanley Kubrick's greatest film. And, to one disgruntled soul who left the theater screaming in disgust at how "it makes a mockery of our country's military!" it is a denunciation of the American "strength through power" mindset. It is also the most deadpan film ever made. I know of few films that contain so many utterly perfect moments as this one. Kubrick's brilliance is the way he takes these potentially disparate moments and blends them into a magnificent, coherent whole. Anyone who has seen STRANGELOVE will have his or her own set of best moments. Mine includes: George C. Scott's obsessive gum chewing; Peter Sellers as the president shouting, "You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"; General Jack Ripper's disquisition on bodily fluids; Kennan Wynn's Col. "Bat" Guano warning Capt. Mandrake that he will have to answer to the Coca Cola company; everything that Slim Pickens says throughout the film; "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"; President Muffley's long phone conversation with Dmitri, the Soviet premier; and, last, but not least, Dr. Strangelove himself (who resembles nothing so much as FDR if he had been an insane ex-Nazi). In 1964, when this film was made, the idea of nuclear war was horrific to everyone. Bomb shelters were being sold everywhere, and one of the hot exhibitions at any State Fair would be the one displaying the shelter models out that year. Numerous movies were made trying to drive home the seriousness of the threat. But Kubrick, instead, made a comedy about it, partly, unquestionably, to point up the absurdity of the entire situation. But perhaps also to give us some perspectives on ourselves, on our tendency to demonize "the other," on our silly assumptions, and perhaps as a way of deflating some of the tension of the situation by helping us all to laugh at ourselves. There have been many "topical" films made over the decades, but perhaps none has managed to so completely transcend its particular period of time as to become a masterpiece for any and all times.
Rating: 
Summary: Average
Review: 'Dr. Strangelove' is a so-called classic. It has some funny moments, but most of it is just dull. Kubrick has a sense of humor only his worshippers get.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Dark Comedy about ... Nuclear War?!?! Yup!!
Review: There are few scenes in cinematic history that are more indelibly etched into the publics imagination like the image of Slim Pickens rodeo-riding a nuclear bomb on its way to oblivion. While this is one of the final scenes in "Dr. Strangelove... Or, How I learned to Stop Worry and Love the Bomb", it showcases that strangely dark comedic tone that immerses the entire movie. At the time the movie was released (1964, scheduled for late 1963, but postponed because of Kennedy's assassination), panic over the prospect of mutually assured destruction as a result of a nuclear war between the United States and Soviet Union overwhelmed the American public. 1962's Cuban Missile Crisis did little to assuage those fears. That same year, a writer named Peter George wrote a novel called "Red Alert" where the premise was the occurrence of accidental nuclear war. It was made into a movie called "Fail Safe" that had a very somber tone focusing on the horror of that occurrence. At the same time, odd-ball director Stanley Kubrick decided to take the premise of "Red Alert" of make his own movie based on it. However, during the course of scripting it for the screen, Kubrick realized that several of the scenes could be and were actually quite funny. So, he decided to change the tone from a serious war movie to a black comedy. The result was a truly landmark film. The audience gets an early hint of its off-beat nature with the first of many 'unique' names. Deranged General Jack D. Ripper (played with commanding menace by Sterling Hayden) decides to close off Burpelson Air Force Base to the outside world and send commands to his bombers holding at their fail-safe points to proceed to bombing targets in the Soviet Union. Ripper's rationale is that the Soviets have invaded America in the most gruesome way possible: infiltrating their bodily fluids with fluoride(!!!). The almost hapless administration of President Merkin Muffley convenes in an underground war room to figure out what went wrong and how to undo it. The president's main military advisor is General Buck Turgidson; a psychotic old warhorse who thinks this accidental launch is a blessing in a disguise and that America should launch all their weapons on the Russians and destroy them while suffering 'only' 20-30 million casualties, tops(!). Turgidson's view is what the U.S. may have realized had General Patton had his way at the end of World War II. It should come as no surprise that the roles of General Turgidson in this movie and General Patton is his biopic 7 years later were both played by actor George C. Scott. Those who loved "Patton" will see the seeds of the performance beginning to sprout in "Dr. Strangelove..". President Muffley enlists the services of one Dr. Strangelove, an exiled German scientist, to help figure out how to resolve this predicament (avoiding the attack which will trigger the Russians 'Doomsday' bomb). Dr. Strangelove worked on the A-Bomb project for the Nazis and seems to have a difficult time controlling the actions of his right hand. There are too many well-realized characters to address each one individually and still do them justice. The true star is the way in which Kubrick satirizes the nuclear policies of the time and the overall nuclear fears. Prevalent at the time were the concerns over the 'bomb gap', the difference between the number of bombs the U.S. had versus the number the Russians had. When the Turgidson and company become aware of the Russian "Doomsday' device, they complain about the 'Doomsday Gap'. When it becomes obvious that there is no way to stop the iminent nuclear attack, the president and his advisors begin discussing ways to preserve the American way of life through the use of mine shafts for people to live in until it is safe, they argue about avoiding a 'mine shaft gap' with the Russians. It seems to be Kubrick's intention to illuminate the absurdity of the real-life debates with the extreme concerns in this movie. He does so expertly. Of course, there is the one truly memorable line uttered by President Muffley when Turgidson and the Russian ambassador get into a scuffle, "Gentleman! You can't fight here! This is the War Room!". Beyond the tone of the movie, there are several other unique aspects to "Dr. Strangelove..." that also help elevate to one of the top movies in history. Legendary British actor Peter Sellers played not one, but three (!), roles in this movie. He is Group Captain Lionel Mandrake of the RAF (who tries to talk General Ripper out of his mad plan), President Merkin Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove. He was rumored to be slated to play Major T.J. "King" Kong, but he suffered a leg injury and the role was given to Slim Pickens. It's just as well, because one would find it hard to imagine even an actor as gifted as Sellers performing the southern hick pilot role nearly as well as Pickens did. It is also notable that this is the very first movie that James Earl Jones appeared in. The final scenes show a series of nuclear explosions, but not in a manner that depicts horror or destruction. It is almost poetic how the explosions flash in tune with Vera Lynn's light "We'll Meet Again" song. Deft satirical directing like that is what enables "Dr. Strangelove" to be as popular today as it was almost 40 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Yee-hah!
Review: "Dr Strangelove" is billed as a classic for a reason: it's flat-out one of the most intelligent and hilarious movies I've ever seen. While the movie works as a satire of Cold-War paranoia and the level of American military preparedness, its true brilliance lies in its vividly drawn characters and endless supply of memorable dialogue. Who can forget the mad General Jack D. Ripper (love that name), the rogue general obsessed with safeguarding the purity of America's bodily fluids? Or Colonel Mandrake, the picture of English gentility, attempting to reason with raving Ripper? Or Dr. Strangelove, constantly having to remember that the American president is not the Fuhrer? Best of all, however, is the indelible image of George C. Scott as the ultimate hawk, General Buck Turgetson. Whether telling the president that an all-out nuclear attack on Russia would result in "five, ten million casualties, tops" for America, or defending the defense protocols that may bring about world destruction, or raving that we "cannot allow a mineshaft gap!", General Turgetson is one of the most consistently hilarious characters in movie history, a caricature of the gung-ho attitude that so often leads to wars. By dealing in a lighthearted manner with an issue as serious as nuclear war, Stanley Kubrick created an incisive, memorable and always hilarious masterwork. Easily one of the top movies I've seen.
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