The Doors (Special Edition)

Buy This Item The Doors (Special Edition) by Lions Gate  Available from Amazon  $7.99  on 11-29-2008     Thanks in large part to its meticulous re-creation of the late-1960s and early-'70s rock scene and the uncannily authentic performance by Val Kilmer as legendary Doors frontman Jim Morrison, Oliver Stone's hypnotic film biography is standing the test of time. Capturing the carefree mood of the Age of Aquarius, the film charts the meteoric rise of the Doors on the California club circuit (including a memorable scene showing the creation of the hit "Light My Fire"), and chronicles the band's exploits with hallucinogenics and Morrison's battles against charges of public indecency on stage. Kilmer's performance is hauntingly perfect, and performances by Meg Ryan, Kathleen Quinlan, and Kyle MacLachlan are similarly impressive. The movie doesn't fully probe the depths of Morrison's character, but as a portrait of excess it is vividly true to the spirit of the self-destructive poet known to his fans as "The Lizard King." <i>--Jeff Shannon</i> Reader Reviews First, let me start off by saying that Val Kilmer's performance in this film is nothing short of genius. He literally became Jim Morrison, almost to the point that I thought that Val was actually a mental patient who thought he WAS Jim Morrison. There are many times during the film that I had to tell myself that it wasn't Jim that had come back from the dead. Second, Oliver Stone is a brilliant director and he can make the viewer feel as if he has just stepped into a time machine and gone back to visit the 60's--that's how authentic the setting is in this movie. However, the problem that I sometimes have with Oliver Stone is that he has a tendancy to go a little to overboard in his films, and "The Doors" is a perfect example of this. We all know that Jim Morrison was a troubled soul, but, hey, let's face it--most of your artistic geniuses are, which what makes their work so incredible. Stone, however, made Jim Morrison out to be some acid-draining Nazi that cared only about himself and had violent outbursts all the time. In reality, though, if one does a little research, one finds out that Jim was only like that some of the time and not every second of his life. This movie, I felt, failed to show more of the beautiful maverick poet/shaman that Jim, most of the time, really was. Also, I felt that the sex angle was overplayed a bit, as well. Obviously Jim had slept with a number of women, and the women that weren't able to, most likely fantasized about being with Jim. However, it was if this film made Jim out to be so horny that he would actually have sex with mannequins at the local department store. In reality, when all is said and done, the only real saving grace of this film was Val Kilmer's outstanding performance as well as Stone's accurate re-creation of the trippin' sixties.

The Doors (Special Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $7.99 Updated on 11-29-2008.

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