Criterion Collection: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas [Blu-ray] [1998] [US Import]

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.

Let me be frank and honest up front about this: you HAVE to love Hunter S. Thompson or you will NOT enjoy this movie. I see a lot of reviewers saying that the movie is trash - I counter by saying that they probably haven't read this book or any of his other works. This is an incredibly faithful adaptation of the book, and captures the Gonzo feel of the writing. It's really a testament to Terry Gilliam's directing ability as well as Johnny Depp's range that made this movie the masterpiece it is.

The blu-ray is beautiful, the sound is amazing, and it is completely worth it in every way.

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.