Fear and Loathing in Aspen

This isn't a film about Hunter S Thompson. It is a film about Aspen and the end of the old west, as told though the Battle for Aspen. What Thompson's campaign was all about. When the film stays on point it is pretty good and actually does show the conflict that still exists today in Aspen over development and wealth instead of community. But it is hard to fill a two hour movie with only that theme, so there's a lot of filler showing the details of the campaign.

I have always been a HST fan and have read nearly all his books and seen all the movies based on the books or about HST in general. He has a style that is very difficult to take from paper and put on the screen but this movie takes a shot at it and for the most part succeeds. First of this is not Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a wonderful movies btw, but rather this movie has a more straightforward plot, that being Hunter's run for sheriff in Aspen in 1970. It is based on his articles in rolling stone (called the battle for aspen) detailing his campaign to unite the freaks and outcasts of aspen to get rid of the corrupt politicians that are selling their paradise to land developers. Its almost the plot of any of those bad 1980s ski movies about the evil developer coming to town and the people coming together to fight against it, only in this movie hunter carries a gun and the freaks dont win.

HST is a notoriously difficult character to portray correctly, he has such distinct mannerisms in how he talked and interacted with people, and it doesnt help that the previous attempts were delivered by hollywood heavyweights like murray and depp. But i have to give bulger credit for getting the essence of HST and not going too overboard. I do wish we got to see more character development and especially more interactions with his family because if youve read his works you know there was a lot of family drama going on at this time as well that we dont get to see in the movie. Anyway bulger's acting is solid enough to keep you entertained about the character and his shenanigans (like dumping contaminated water on the city council floor,) and there were occasions, like the speech at the end after his team lost the election, that really nailed the angst and ennui of the late 60s and early 70s. All in all, this movie is more direct and straight forward than Where the Buffalo Roam and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as it follows a single linear story line about the run for office, but it is still weird enough to capture the essence of HST. I was engaged for the entire movie (even knowing what was going to happen) and found myself laughing several times. This movie has its flaws and isnt perfect but most people will find it an entertaining way to kill 90 minutes.

I really loved Fear And Loathing In Vegas, where Johnny Depp did a remarkable job playing Hunter S. Thompson. That movie can not be compared to this one though as Fear And Loathing In Aspen is more biographical than pure entertainment. Jay Bulger also did a very good job playing Hunter S. Thompson. That's the best thing about this movie. The story is also interesting to follow. I just wished the quality of the cinematography would have been better. That was in my humble opinion the weakest point of this movie. Plus some actors were just not that good either. That said it's worth a watch but I don't really need to watch it again. Fear And Loathing In Vegas on the other hand I can rewatch several times.

So, this is a story from Hunter S Thompson's life, and bills itself as "the sequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"...it is not.

What could have been a great film and an interesting chapter out of the life and times of one of the most recognizable names in literature and journalism, just ends up being a boring mess, and is totally let down by the low budget, bad writing and horrible acting by people that are obviously trying their best but simply don't have the skill required to pull it off.

If you are a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then stay far far away from this movie, as you won't find any of the humour, wit and drug fueled chaos that made the original so entertaining. There is very little to like about this movie. It had a great premise but it just doesn't work. Nothing here feels coherent or entertaining in any way at all.

If you like HST, you'll love this. It's no hallucinogenic road trip like fear and loathing in Las Vegas but serves as a prequel to it in the sense that you see a younger, unknown HST beginning his career.

Jay Bulger does a very, very good HST. Where Johnny Depp set the bar extremely high in F&LILV it's still very hard not to wish he was playing HST in this, albeit the JD at the age of the 1998 film.

Check out the trailer to get a really good gist of the film, then pour a whisky and then buy the ticket and take the ride!