Johnny Depp’s Greatest Performance Gets Long-Awaited Restoration
In the prime of his career, Johnny Depp was indisputably one of the biggest names in movies. Once his career took off, he had such an incredible stretch of iconic performances that fans still remember fondly. He was always known for his quirkiness that manifested in some eclectic roles ranging from charismatic to creepy. And Johnny Depp also had great comedic timing as well, as demonstrated by his starring in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which has just been announced to be getting a long awaited 4K remaster!
Protecting The Film From Disappearing
A Johnny Depp classic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas originally came out in 1998. Criterion, who is handling this latest version as well, added the movie to their DVD library in 2003. Criterion then rereleased it on Blu-ray in 2011, but fans had been without an updated version since then. With physical media currently fading into obsolescence, many were worried there never would be another version.
This rerelease is great news for movie fans who want to know they will always have a way to watch their movies in the best quality, regardless of what movies streaming platforms decide to carry.
Beautiful Looking And Sounding Restoration
In announcing what this rerelease of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas will entail, Criterion shared the iconic Johnny Depp movie will of course be an all new 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. The whole process was supervised and approved by the movie’s director Terry Gilliam to ensure everything looks and sounds the way he intended.
Commentary Tracks
Speaking of Terry Gilliam, this version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas will have multiple commentary tracks to choose from, one from the director himself, and another with Johnny Depp and his costars. It also includes deleted scenes from the movie to shed more light on certain plot points. The rerelease also includes one disc of the movie in 4K UHD, as well as a second version of the movie on Blu-ray.
Depp And Thompson
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is also famous for marking the beginning of the friendship of Johnny Depp and the author of the novel the movie is based on, Hunter S. Thompson. The story goes that during the casting process for the movie, once Thompson had a chance to speak with Johnny Depp, he was convinced nobody else could be a better fit for the lead role. So it is only fitting that the rerelease also includes correspondence from Thompson as read by Johnny Depp, giving fans of the movie insight into the author’s thought process.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has left a lasting legacy with movies like Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. And he certainly has not hung up his boots yet, with Depp looking to make his big return to movies after his tumultuous legal troubles with Amber Heard by having one of the key roles in the upcoming Jeanne du Barry. But if Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is one that has slipped under your radar, now is a great time see another fantastic Johnny Depp film.
Source: Criterion
