Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Universal Pictures | Release Date: May 22, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
41
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
8
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Film ThreatRon Wells
Does for psychedelics what "Boogie Nights" does for cocaine; displaying in graphical detail the ultimate failure of drugs as an escape route. Read full review
100
SalonCintra Wilson
It is as deeply satisfying as only the yowling, primal trashing of several rental cars and hotel rooms while in the grips of a hopelessly depraved ether jag and several sheets of blotter acid can be... A cinematic masterpiece. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
The strongest magnet in this psychedelic morass is Johnny Depp who, as the story's antic, disgusting and seductive spirit guide, is impossible to look away from. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubJoshua Klein
Gilliam captures the chaotic visions of debauchery with his trademark aplomb, bringing to life the already trippy patterns of hotel carpets and populating the dark bars of Vegas with genuinely reptilian lounge lizards. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
The closest sensory approximation of an acid trip ever achieved by a mainstream movie and the latest example of Mr. Gilliam's visual bravura. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Gilliam's visual style has never been more energetic or inventive, and nobody could be attracted to dope after this portrait of drug abuse as a hallucinatory quagmire. Read full review
50
Film ThreatAnthony Miele
On this ride we follow the two characters from casino to casino and from hallucination to hallucination with no real destination. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The one source of relief comes from the score -- a sampling of period ditties by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Neil Young. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There is a reason why books are books and movies are movies, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas makes a pretty good case that the two don't always mix. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Disappointing, pointless and repetitive. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A peculiar and oddly haunting achievement. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
There's something about that extra layer of distancing that a book can offer and the screen can't, which in this case might account for why film viewers feel vaguely discomforted by an icky fifth-wheel sensation. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The movie is a true folly, yet there's no denying that Gilliam has gotten some of the hallucinogenic madness of Thompson's novel on screen. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Part of the idea here was to play in the ambiguous zones where Las Vegas tackiness, LSD hallucinations, Gilliam beasties, and lots of vomit become difficult to separate. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A horrible mess of a movie, without shape, trajectory or purpose--a one joke movie, if it had one joke. Read full review
20
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
A lot of talent has gone down the drain, an apt term since bathrooms loom in the picture. [22 Jun 1998, p. 26]
20
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Johnny Depp's impersonation of the Thompson figure is effective up to a point, but it's hard to imagine any segment of the public embracing this off-putting, unrewarding slog through the depths of the drug culture. Read full review
10
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Watching it is like being forced to listen to bad heavy metal music turned up to 11 while fat guys in Bermuda shorts compete in a puking contest in the john. Read full review
0
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
One long offensive treatise on just how vile two human beings can be. Read full review
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