Oliver Stone was perfect for The Doors. His directing style compliments the darker side of Jim Morrison's short life flawlessly, and he creates an absorbing film biography. Val Kilmer's dead-on performance only helps matters.
There's little time spent setting up the band or the early years of the their rise to success. Other band members are forgotten for long stretches of time, and they could have added to the story significantly. Famous moments (like the Ed Sullivan Show) are dropped just as soon as they're shown. The film might as well of been titled differently since it's not so much about the band as it is their lead vocalist.
Regardless of the name, Oliver Stone wastes no time moving the audience into the later years of Morrison's life. That's when the true drama started, and the point where the film is at its strongest. Kilmer grasps the role perfectly, slowly descending into madness from drugs and alcohol. Stone holds nothing back, and you'll be hard pressed to find another film that earns its R-rating so quickly without a single scene of violence.
That leads to obvious criticism, mostly because the film never focuses on any of the lead singer’s brighter moments. Member Ray Manzarek has long since rejected the film. Regardless of the inaccuracies or overly dramatic segments created just for the movie, it makes for wild entertainment and a way to, at the least, somewhat experience the band thanks to Kilmer's performance. (**** out of *****)
The UMD preserves the 2.35:1 ratio of the film, and even though it was shot in the early 90s, really looks like it's from the 1960s. There's a light haze over everything, and the film grain only adds to the illusion. That's preserved perfectly in this video transfer. Sadly, major flaws are apparent all the way through, including abnormally high compression. Backgrounds are littered with it, and the black levels never stay together, making the artifacts more prevalent than they might have been. (**)
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments
1 - Tan The Man
Yeah, John Travolta was given the role, until Kilmer sent Stone a video of him as Morrison. What if JT played Morrison...
2 - Sister Ray
I loved the movie, but...duh...what is UMD?
3 - Matt Paprocki
A UMD is a disc format for Sony's portable PSP game system.