Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) -
Weasello Rating:
{>>>-} (Great!)
I'm not an ass so you won't find any spoilers in this review without decent warning.
"We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers.... also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls... but the only thing that worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible than a man in the depths of an ether binge..."
--Hunter S. Thompson, 1971
This quote is special to me in various ways. The most prominent is that it comes right near the beginning of the book and the movie, and in all formats and languages this one paragraph remains untouched. I beleive this is because the paragraph sums up the entire plot, and yet it has an oddly simplistic and very powerful message. Anyways, onto the review!
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a book turned movie, and both are amazing copies of entertainment. The book's full title is "
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas : A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream," and the movie is simply named "
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
The book is written by
Hunter S. Thompson, biographical information can be found
here. The
paperback version (2nd edition) is 204 pages long, and published by
Vintage Books.
ISBN#: 0679785892.
The movie is directed by and in
Terry Gilliam's style. Find his biographical information
here. The movie hit the big screens on
May 22, 1998, and was produced by
Universal. The original director,
Alex Cox, had creative differences with Universal and left the movie after creating the script. At this point, Terry Gilliam took over. Many people think that Alex Cox would have been a perfect match for the movie.
Now that we have the facts out of the way, what did I think of the movie?
I loved it. In a silly, goofy way. I'm no crack-fiend; heck, I haven't even smoked a joint in my life. But you have to have a sense of humor towards these things to enjoy the movie. There isn't really too much plot to worry about - just two guys and their adventure through Las Vegas, trippin out on drugs.
You know, I thought I'd have more to say about it than that. Hmm. All I remember about the movie was that it was really good, funny, and visually cool. But I can't remember anything worth mentioning.
I feel compelled to mention that Johnny Depp's voice throughout the movie is awesome. I've never heard anything like it before nor since.
Recommendation: Watch this movie this week, without your parents around.
Lead Cast List:
DVD Features
(thanks to mat catastrophe):
Special Features:
- Deleted Scenes
- Spotlight on Location
- Production Notes (Text Only)
- Cast & Filmmakers' Bios (Text only)
- Film Highlights (This is listed on the box, but does not appear in the disc menu!)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Web Links
Technical Features:
- Region 1
- Dolby 5.1
- Dolby Digital
- Languages and Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
- Dual Layer
From the Box:
"
Excruciatingly Funny." -
J. Hoberman,
Village Voice
"
A Spectacular Wipeout" -
David Kronke,
Los Angeles Times
Starring:
a TERRY GILLIAM film
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
based on the book by HUNTER S. THOMPSON
-- Credits too small/unreadable --
Running Time: 1 Hour 59 Mins.
Rating:
18A (
Canadian Home Video Rating)
When a writing assignment lands journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and sidekick Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) in Las Vegas, they decide to make it the ultimate business trip. But before long, business is forgotten and trip has become the key word.
Fueled by a suitcase full of mind-bending pharmaceuticals, Duke and Gonzo set off on a fast and furious ride through nonstop neon, surreal surroundings and a crew of the craziest characters ever (including cameo appearances by Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey and many others). But no matter where misadventure leads them, Duke and Gonzo discover that sometimes going too far is the only way to go.
Capturing the insane madness of Hunter S. Thompson's literary classic was the challenge that director Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys) openly embraced. Critics hailed it as: "Mindblowing. Bizarre. Outrageous. Wild."
Buy the Ticket.
Take the ride!
Sources: Memory, the fantistic fabulatron IMDB.COM, and the back of the box. Book stuff: Amazon.com. Thanks to dem bones for the origional quote.