Oliver Stone and Val Kilmer do a fine job in paying tribute to Jim Morrison and The Doors.

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2016)

There's no denying that Jim Morrison at the height of his popularity was a free spirited, larger-than-life icon of the 1960s music scene. Women wanted him and men wanted to be him. Away from the microphone, Jim Morrison's life was plagued by alcoholism, drug use, obsession with death, womanising, and bizarre behaviour which saw him having numerous run ins with the law. Oliver Stone does not apologise in pulling no punches and navigating through controversy in telling the psychedelic tale of Jim Morrison's short life and his band The Doors.
The movie centers on Jim Morrison's life (Val Kilmer, Top Gun) as well as his fellow band members including John Densmore (Kevin Dillon, Entourage), Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan, Blue Velvet), and Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley, Pulp Fiction). The movie also depicts his relationship with Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan, Sleepless in Seattle) and Patricia Kennealy (Kathleen Quinlan, Apollo 13). As the Doors become hugely successful, Jim becomes increasingly infatuated with his own image as "The Lizard King" and his lifestyle descends into alcoholism and drugs. Jim Morrison also raises the ire of many club owners and managers including his own band members and friends grow weary of Jim's bizarre and confrontational behaviour as well as his tardiness for rehearsals and concerts. Jim also finds himself in hot water with the law after being arrested for obscene behaviour on stage.
Val Kilmer gives one of his best performances as Jim Morrison. Their likeness is very similar to each other and Val Kilmer does the movie justice by paying tribute to a legend who's untimely death has seen his legacy immortalised. It was also surreal to watch and listen to many of the old songs being resurrected in the movie.
The rest of the supporting cast rounds out the movie quite well. In particular the likable Meg Ryan was excellent as Jim Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson. There is an assortment of actors and actresses in small roles including Crispin Glover (Back to the Future), Kelly Hu (Cradle 2 The Grave), singer Billy Idol, Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), Debi Mazar (Entourage), Michael Wincott (The Crow), Josie Bissett (Melrose Place) and Titus Welliver (Bosch).
Director Oliver Stone is not one to shy away from controversy especially evidenced by movies such as Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991) and Natural Born Killers (1994). A lot of Jim Morrison's family, close friends and even fellow band members did not appreciate the way how Jim Morrison was depicted and the movie caused a lot of upset.
The Doors pays tribute to Jim Morrison and his band The Doors and this was made possible largely due to the efforts of director Oliver Stone who brought the story to life on the big screen and Val Kilmer in one of his most memorable performances showcasing his abilities as a quality actor by bringing to life the tragic tale of Jim Morrison who was destined to live a short life.
7/10.