Spellbinding

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2019)

When I first saw "The Doors" as a teenager, I didn't like it. While I appreciated Oliver Stone's direction and Val Kilmer's performance as Jim Morrison, I felt that the overall movie was an empty, emotionless exercise in visual style. But having revisited the movie some years later I find myself converted: "The Doors" is a spellbinding exploration of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Stone avoids making a conventional biopic by focusing on the troubled psyche of Jim Morrison, and how his inner demons produced brilliant music while sending him on a downward spiral that culminated in his death at the age of 27.
I don't always agree with Oliver Stone's political opinions: I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and I have little sympathy for Vladimir Putin. But there's no denying that Stone is a filmmaking genius who's directed some of the greatest movies of the past 35 years - my favorite is "Nixon," the best movie ever made about politics. "The Doors" is masterfully directed by Stone, who recreates Morrison's concerts so realistically you feel like you're up there on stage with him. In a masterstroke, Stone structures the movie's poetic, avant-garde imagery around The Doors' finest music - resulting in what feels like an extended music video that deconstructs the myth of Jim Morrison. Stone shows why Morrison was such a compelling icon of rock music while also highlighting his darker side, making for an incredible viewing experience.
I'd be lying if I said that I'm usually a fan of Val Kilmer as an actor (let's just say he's not my favorite Batman) but I was awestruck by his performance as Morrison. Not only does Kilmer exactly look and sound like Morrison, he totally inhabits the role and frankly I'm surprised that Kilmer didn't receive an Oscar nomination. I really enjoyed "The Doors" this second time around, but I still have a few problems with it. I don't think Stone handles Morrison's death particularly well: I was expecting more emotional resonance than that was conveyed in the final film. I also would've liked to have seen more emphasis on the other members of The Doors, as well as Morrison's childhood and his relationship with his father. But despite these qualms not only did I like "The Doors," I'm surprised by how much I liked it. 8/10.