Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Adventure, Drama, Comedy • 1h 58m
Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Michael Lee Gogin, Larry Cedar, Brian Le Baron, Katherine Helmond, Michael Warwick, Craig Bierko, Tyde Kierney, Mark Harmon, Tim Thomerson, Richard Riehle, Ransom Gates, Frank Romano, Gil Boccaccio, Gary Bruno, Richard Portnow, Debbie Reynolds, Steve Schirripa, Verne Troyer, Will Blount, Ben Yeagar, Penn Jillette, Christopher Callen, Cameron Diaz, Benjamin A. Van Der Veen, Lyle Lovett, Flea, Alex Craig Mann, Gregory Itzin, Gary Busey, Troy Evans, Gale Baker, Christopher Meloni, Christina Ricci, Chris Hendrie, Larry Brandenburg, Michael Jeter, Donald Morrow, Harry Dean Stanton, Jenette Goldstein, Stephen Bridgewater, Buck Holland, Mary Gillis, Jennifer Elise Cox, David Brisbin, Ellen Barkin, James O'Sullivan, Milt Tarver, Kathryn Alexander, Mia Babalis, Kristin Draudt, Kim Flowers, Trudi Forristal, Nan Friedman, Judith Lieff, Tane McClure, Diana Mehoudar, Geoffrey Nimmer, Marlene Bologna, Chobi Gyorgy, Karen Price, Lisa Hoyle, Joseph S. Griffo, Laraine Newman, Hunter S. Thompson, JoAnn Bush
Arrow UK or Criterion US 4K Blu-ray (preference)
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 11 months ago
Arrow UK & Criterion US 4K Blu-ray have different gradings (preference, Arrow 4K Blu-ray is encoded by Fidelity in Motion)
UHD tiers
Overview
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
Director: Jean Vigo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Directors: Alberto Cavalcanti & Charles Crichton & Basil Dearden & Robert Hamer
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
France Rimini 4K Blu-ray see caps vs Artificial Eye Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
(Indicator 4K Blu-ray, based on review)
Director: Otakar Vávra
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Deaf Crocodile 4K Blu-ray see nic review
Restored: Deaf Crocodile 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored: Czech PAL DVD
Preferences will vary, the restored track sounds good, but not necessarily faithful to the original elements.
Director: Anthony Mann
Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
2008 Universal DVD mono
The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original Laserdisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin.
The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.
Director: Basil Dearden
Excellent 4K master and encode, except for opticals grain is very fine, grading is beautifully silvery and luminous, nice HDR re-grade by Fidelity in Motion
Director: Terry Gilliam
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Criterion and Arrow have exclusive extras
Director: Terry Gilliam
Director's Cut: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
US Theatrical Cut: Universal Blu-Ray
Love Conquers All Cut: Criterion Blu-Ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Director: Terry Gilliam
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Criterion 4K Blu-ray poor compression, otherwise Second Sight has best Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
> BFI 4K Blu-ray. caps Criterion presents the master as originally graded in SDR whereas FiM added HDR / Dolby Vision for the BFI.
Criterion 4K Blu-ray's audio mix has more detail than BFI’s and same applies to the subtitles, covering both English and France spoken word
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Director: Terrence Malick
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Lovely underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion but encode is sadly low-pass filtered by Pixelogic, and even then, the encode is still less than ideal. Still easily obliterates any prior disc release, but certainly wouldn't hurt to have a UK or German label take a crack at this same master.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Eureka UK are considering doing a 4K and actively exploring the possibility: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24363810&postcount=264
Wonderful underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion, but NexSpec encode has clipped highlights with the occasional blockiness. The Criterion Blu-Ray, sourced from their 4K remaster, ironically makes for a more consistent and overall pleasing experience.
Director: Luis Buñuel
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
For Blu-ray Criterion Demy Set > StudioCanal
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