Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

This movie not about drugs, violence, sex, or the love generation, it is about something much more basic... something that in the United States we call "The American Dream". . That is some kind of sense of righteous destiny in a place where good always triumphs over evil and nice guys finish first. The book is about that, or rather the realizations that it's not true: the death of The American Dream.Basically, most folks believe that it is their right -- as long as they aren't hurting anybody else... they pretty much should be allowed to do what ever the heck they want to do, even if, and maybe especially if... the things they want to do harm themselves.This movie is based on the book of the same name -- which it follows closely -- written by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, whose alter ego basically is Raoul Duke. Thompson liked this movie adaptation of his book. The book was what Uncle Duke saw as a failed attempt at Gonzo Journalism... that had at its heart that sometimes the best truth is encased in fiction.Some other more recent movies have, in their own ways, also been about the same subject matter: "American Psycho", "Gladiator" and even, in a rather weird kind of way... the Lord of the Rings movies.The American dream either died somewhere along the way or did it simply never really existed at all, and we are somehow just mourning its passing like a bunch of drug crazed wacko's in the same way lots of other folks on a long strange religious trip mourned the death of a flat earth? Many of us believed in The American Dream once, we were raised to believe in it. But then something happened... something bad? Nixon took office and started defecating on the Constitution? Maybe we just woke up -- grew up? Who the heck knows really, because I doubt we really ever understood just what we believed in at the time.To quote a line from the book (from the wave speech): "History is hard to know, because of all the hired bulls*, but even without being sure of "history" it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time-and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened."The book and movie are, in some kind of way, an examination of ourselves... in the way you sometimes hear that an unexamined life is not worth living... the problem is that, when we look deep into the inner core being of ourselves...sometimes we find nothing. Which leads to the "paradoxically benevolent BS" -- "the desperate assumption that somebody-or at least some force-is tending that Light at the end of the tunnel".Which is why, in my opinion, a lot of people don't like this movie. They are uncomfortable thinking about themselves in ways where the conclusion isn't clear and succinct. They want to believe they are holding on to life firmly by the handle. They want to live in a world where everything makes sense. Of course, they are wrong. Or maybe, in the unkindest cut of all, they are perfectly correct. The world does make sense - and airplanes are supposed to crash into tall building and thousands must die in order to feed the egos of the small groups of evil men who run the world. These are scary places and times, ones where you don't need drugs or alcohol to be scared. But then maybe only the truly sane are getting whacked out on acid and heroin.There are lots of good extras on the DVD's, the best are:- A few scenes cut out of the film- Three excellent commentary tracks from the Director, Actors and Hunter Thompson.- A BBC documentary- Johnny Depp reading from selected letters by ThompsonIt is a very good movie if you are open to uncomfortable thoughts.

Criterion does it again. I can almost stop the review there, people know what to expect from here. But if you're new to the Criterion thing, here goes.Why pay for the Criterion edition:-You get the film. I won't go over it too much because it's such a cult classic. The short version is that this is a drug-fueled road trip movie about big themes. Thompson uses the backdrop of Las Vegas and a nearly-forgotten reporting assignment in Vegas to make a larger commentary on America and the American Dream. His speech about when "the tide rolled back" is incredibly poignant. The film is very divisive, as many people can't get over the fact that the main characters are- to be frank- bad people. But this movie isn't about glorifying these people, it's about showing how sick and twisted American society can get. If nothing else, it shows you what it's like out there on the edge so you don't have to go there yourself.-Beautiful art by Thompson's long-time friend and co-conspirator, Ralph Steadman. Not just the cover, but some interior pieces in the booklet and galleries on disc as well. The main menu is Steadman inking the "Fear and Loathing" logo. It's amazing to see him working.-All the words. Thompson was a writer, so Criterion's included essays mean more than ever. In the booklet there's film critic and other essays like always. On disc various people read Thompsons' words, including Thompson himself. One feature includes Depp reading letters to and from Thompson, it's a hoot.-Commentaries. You get to hear you choice of director Terry Gilliam, stars Depp and del Toro, or Thompson himself narrating. Go crazy, it's your trip.-Normally you'd say something about the transfer at this point, but there's not a lot to say. Terry Gilliam filmed this masterpiece in such a way that it probably looks best on an old VHS tape in a rickety television that cuts off the edges of the picture. The transfer is great, but not why anyone would see this film.This is a great film. You may want to see it slightly inebriated on first viewing, or just late at night so it can really terrify your dreams, just don't go too far. The movie already does that for you.

Awful hallucinogenic drivel. No structure whatsoever - after all in a hallucination anything can come before or after anything else.I wasted my time after the first few seconds, hoping it might improve. It doesn't !

Great gem

Thanks to a recent sale I was finally able to add Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to my collection. The picture and sound are perfect, plus the exclusive extras really round out the package. The documentary about Hunter Thompson in Hollywood was something I really wanted to see, I'm really happy it was included with this set.

One of the greatest movies ever presented in the best possible way.

perfect