DVD Review: Wonderland

"John Holmes was 
the first porn star
he was called "The King."

According to legend,
he starred in more than 1,000 adult films.
he gained worldwide notoriety.
he slept with 14,000 women.

This is the story of
what happened once 
the legend was over."

                      (Opening frame of Wonderland)

Welcome to the disintegrating world of John Holmes. Once a legendary porn star famous for his astonishing 14 inch penis, he hasn’t worked in years and can’t escape the stigma of his past. The drug habit that killed his career and squandered his fortune now threatens to consume him completely.

After exhausting his credit with every dealer in town, Holmes (Val Kilmer) is desperate to maintain his supply of drugs. Beholden to the proprietors of a drug den on Wonderland Avenue, he formulates a reckless plan that will culminate in the grisliest murders since the Tate/LaBianca killings over a decade before.

Wonderland offers two versions of the events leading up to the murders through a series of flashbacks from individual characters.

David Lind (Dylan McDermott) is the only resident of 8763 Wonderland left to refute Holmes' account of the days preceding the murders. Returning from out of town, he is confronted with the news that four of his roommates have been beaten to death and another is in critical condition. Distraught over the death of his girlfriend, he angrily relates his suspicions of Holmes' involvement to the LAPD.

While Lind insists that Holmes must have set his friends up, Holmes attempts to minimize his role to the police. Painting the murder victims as inept criminals who invited their own doom, he insists he was powerless to prevent the murders. Seeming to revel in the detective's attention, he shows no sympathy for the dealers who treated him like a circus freak, forcing him to show his 14 inch appendage to strangers at gunpoint.

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Article Author: K. Wilson

Founder of Independent Film Critics a place to find fresh opinions from independent film critics: movie reviews, dvd reviews, news and editorials about the film industry and upcoming releases.

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