Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Product Description
Whеn a writing assignment lands journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) аnd sidekick Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) іn Las Vegas, thеу dесіdе tο mаkе іt thе ultimate business trip. Bυt before long, business іѕ forgotten аnd trip hаѕ become thе key word. Fueled bу a suitcase full οf mind-bending pharmaceuticals, Duke аnd Gonzo set οff οn a fаѕt аnd furious ride through nonstop neon, surreal surroundings аnd a crew οf thе craziest characters еνеr (including cameo appearances bу Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey аnd many others). Bυt nο matter whеrе misadventure leads thеm, Duke аnd Gonzo discover thаt sometimes going tοο far іѕ thе οnlу way tο gο. Capturing thе insane madness οf Hunter S. Thompson’s literary classic wаѕ thе challenge thаt director Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys) openly embraced. Critics hailed іt аѕ: “Mindblowing. Bizarre. Outrageous. Wild.” Bυу thе ticket. Take thе ride!
I have been a Hunter Thompson reader and fan for years. I saw this film when it was released in the local cinema and fell in love with it. The entire movie is a masterpiece and will not disappoint if you are in any way shape or form a fan of Hunter’s writing. The movie pays an honest and humble homage to the book. Hunter’s writing was extremely visual to begin with and therefore a challenge to put to screen. And in my opinion it was done near-flawlessly. Fret not, all the lewd, lascivious, and what is now politically incorrect behavior are present in the movie. And done so with respect for the book as well as the most scrutinizing fan. But if you’re reading this review then you’re most likely familiar with the movie itself and have long since formed your own opinions about it. That being said, how about this “new” BluRay release?
This movie was indeed released on BluRay long before the US release. And it was not too expensive in online auction sites and was even available here, though not sold by Amazon, for months now. So, you already own the overseas version and want to know if you should upgrade to the newer official US release?
In short, don’t bother. As far as I can tell they are exactly the same.
The video: BluRay release of this movie is not by any means a reference quality print. However, this may well be due to the original film’s look and not the fault of a shoddy transfer. Some of the blacks are a bit washed out, some of the colors are not entirely true…especially noticeable in the flesh tones at some points. That’s not to say that the DVD is lackluster in appearance. Though there are flaws throughout, they are all minor and none of them will make you regret the price of the DVD. Actually, compared to the Criterion Edition I own, this transfer stands superior and is the one to watch of the two.
The audio: The film’s audio is a marked improvement over it’s standard DVD releases. However, it’s still not quite as “natural” as I would have liked it. I’m not sure how much of this is the way the movie was initially produced and how much of it is the transfer. My guess is this is as good as it gets and is probably as true to the original soundtrack is you’ll get. And is most likely the way it was meant to be heard in the cinema.
Is it worth upgrading if you had already purchased the BluRay before the Feb 2nd release date? Not in my opinion. The packaging is slightly different. The menu is slightly different. But short of that it’s identical to the earlier BluRay release.
In conclusion, of all the DVD releases this movie has gone through, either of the BluRay releases will be your best choice by far. It’s not an amazing transfer, but best around to date.
Rating: 4 / 5
I am a huge fan of this movie. I’ve seen it dozens of times, and was so excited when it was released on blu-ray. In terms of the quality of the movie, it’s a terrific movie with great performances. I highly recommend it. The only problem I had with this blu-ray is that there are numerous sound effects missing from the audio track. Maybe I had it on a wrong setting or the blu ray i purchased is the only one having this problem, but if the blu-ray is in fact missing audio elements from the original cut, I find it very disappointing. I’m not sure if Criterion Collection plan on re-releasing a blu-ray version of this movie, but If they do, hopefully all the audio will will be included in tact. Bottom line: I’m fairly irritated I spent the money on an incomplete transfer.
Rating: 2 / 5
This is my all time #1 favorite film, I love Hunter S. Thompson’s writing, Terry Gilliam’s films, and Johnny Depp & Benicio Del Toro are 2 of my favorite actors, but what makes this movie my favorite is the combination of these 4 peoples talents.
“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” for years was considered to be an unfilm-able novel, in part because it’s a true story about ungodly amounts of substance abuse, but aside from that, there really isn’t any kind of normal story structure to it, and for years no one could figure out a way to fit Thompson’s free-form writing style into a typical, 3-act structure, movie screenplay. The brilliant thing a but Gilliam’s film though, is that he doesn’t even bother with a typical 3 act structure screenplay, but instead uses weird camera moves, lighting and editing to create a kind of “visual approximation” of Thompson’s free wheeling, start and stop, style of story telling, and Depp and Del Toro tie the whole thing together brilliantly.
But the end result is a truly unique motion picture experience, and in that way “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” my #1 favorite, is like a lot like my #2 favorite “2001: A Space Odyssey” because there’s only one “2001″ and there’s only one “Fear and Loathing”, and you should really see them in a movie theater, but if you can’t see ‘em in the theater? the Blu-rays ain’t bad either.
Rating: 5 / 5
Does this movie need a review. This movie is hands down one of he greatest of Its time. If you choose to watch it on blu-ray, well spark a candle, dim the lights, and pick your poison; Not that you need all that for the show, but once you get into locked a serious movie collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.
Rating: 5 / 5
I was very happy with the movie quality. But some of the sound quality could be revised.in some scenes the audio quality gets louder than lifter in the same scene. Overall it is still great to own on blu Ray.
Rating: 4 / 5