Rating of
3/4
Very good, if not completely accurate.
The Film Rebel - wrote on 11/26/10
I'm a rock n' roll guy. Hence, I like rock n' roll movies. Hell, if it has anything to do with the genre, I'm there. And when i heard there was a biopic on one of my favorite rock bands The Doors directed by the legendary Oliver Stone, I thought it'd be great.
The film was really good. I really enjoyed the way it actually made me feel like I was experiencing the 1960's and all the chaos of the music and drugs. I also thought Val Kilmer did an incredible, and I mean INCREDIBLE job as Jim Morrison. However, the biggest problem with the film is...well...it's pretty much all fiction.
In fact, while the surviving members of The Doors actually quite liked Kilmer's performance and even went as far as to say it was like Morrison had come back from the dead. But as soon as they saw the film, it turned out that Stone got a LOT of stuff wrong. Any close follower of Morrison's story will tell you this film is pretty much just one long made up scene used for dramatic effect.
I could go on forever on how many things they got wrong in this movie. The most notable was the way they characterized Jim Morrison. They turned him into a complete asshole who was obsessed with death. For one, he was actually a modest guy and he wasn't always wacked out of his mind 24/7 like how Stone depicted him. Sure, he was a drug addict but again NOT like how Stone depicted him.
Aside from the obvious flaws, the film is extremely well made. Again, the performances (notably Kilmer's) are really good. Kilmer could be Morrison's twim brother for all we know. Sure, you might not say that now but back then definitely. Also, the cinematography and overall style of the film captures the era perfectly. On top of all that, the drama really works well. What it lacks in its story and accuracy it makes up for in those aspects.
Overall, while The Doors is pretty much just one big "what if", its still very enjoyable. Its best to look at this as a piece of fan fiction with some good music.
