Stone and The Doors, interesting combination of Madness

Rating: Null/10 (19 April 2004)

I love The Doors and see it as one of Oliver Stone's best work. But as much as I loved the film I do have a problem with the story. The film is called The Doors but the movie is about Jim Morriosn. I admire Morrison just as much as the next person but with a title like that then shouldn't it concentrate on Robby Kriger and John Densmore just as much as they do with Jim. After when Jim and Ray meet on the beach and they are talking about forming a band and names for it we then cut to the next scene where the band have emsebled without even an introdction to Kreiger and Densmore. It would have been good to see how they met and how they clicked as a band. Oliver Stone said in an interview that there wasn't time to include this, but it is a very important part that should have not be missed.
Without Kreiger we wouldn't have the great riff to Touch Me and Light My Fire. Without Ray we wouldn't have most of The Doors songs as no one else could have done the organ solo in L.A. Woman any better. The Doors were much more than just Jim Morrison and that's what the film lacks in characters and plot.
The Doors is a hypnotic trip that is just so obsorbing you lose yourself within the film. Every shot that Stone did was stunning to the voice of Jim Morrison. Val Kilmer is so like Morrison you could never tell them apart. The rest of the band were on top form and i think it was great to see Meg Ryan in a performance you wouldn't see her play today. Billy Idol's cameo's were admirable as was Michael Wincott and I think the best line in the film is when Paul Rothchild played by Wincott who is the producer of the band says to Jim during an argument "I watched this happen to Janis, I'm not gonna see the same happen to you". If it wasn't that line then it was something like that but it was in reference to Janis Joplin who was a female version of Morrison and they died at the same age in similar circumstances, but the that line is very true and tragic.
Still this is a powerful film none the less but I hate the fact that Stone used every Doors song to go with every scene. Even before they were a band in the film you could here Love Street and Indian Summer in the background. I think a bit of Hendrix or Stones would have gone down a treat to mix with the music that surronded the band at the time of their get together. Alex Cox used bands like The Pogues and Joe Strummer to connect the time with the music in Sid and Nancy. The one's that weren't a Doors song were The Velvet Underground's Heroin and Venus in Furs. This is where Stone lacks in creativity in movies. He should have done what he did with the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. Hire a musician to compose the music and choose the songs that fit the scenes. Ray Manzrek could have done that instead of not being involved at all.
A great film with minor flaws and great performances.