[.ca] Fierce Creatures (ISBN 0783225490)

Chronique amazon.fr:
N'ayant jamais suivi les règles, l'ancien Monty Python John Cleese a réuni une nouvelle fois l'équipe d'Un poisson nommé Wanda pour cette farce sur une multinationale qui essaye de transformer un zoo londonien en une entreprise commerciale. Le producteur-scénariste-star John Cleese a expliqué que ce film n'était pas une suite, les acteurs jouant des personnages complètement différents. John Cleese incarne Rollo Lee, un ancien militaire devenu un requin en affaires envoyé par un magnat de la presse australien (Kevin Kline) pour rentabiliser le zoo. Son projet : la politique des "créatures féroces", le zoo ne conservant que les spécimens les plus dangereux (au grand dam des gardiens). Mais Rollo Lee doit affronter l'ambitieuse directrice (Jamie Lee Curtis) et le fils anxieux du propriétaire (encore Kevin Kline), dont les intérêts divergents créent un chaos général. Créatures féroces ne vaut peut-être pas l'hilarant Un poisson nommé Wanda, mais les stars se sortent d'un scénario confus grâce à de grandes performances comiques. --Sean Axmaker

From Amazon.com:
In an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle, Monty Python veteran John Cleese wrote this slapstick farce for the purpose of reuniting the comedic cast of A Fish Called Wanda. Fierce Creatures is all about a media mogul (Kevin Kline) who owns a London zoo. He demands that the park raise more profit, so the new zoo director (Cleese) orders that only dangerous animals be displayed in order to maximize ticket sales. In a dual role, Kline also plays the mogul's son, who plans to run the zoo with the help of displaced employees (including Michael Palin) and zoo programmer Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis). The situation lends itself to comedic confusion and split-second timing, and for a few good laughs the film is a pretty safe bet. It's not as hilarious as A Fish Called Wanda (that's a pretty tall order), but Cleese knows comedy, and his efforts are worth a look. --Jeff Shannon

The crazy "quartet" at it again.:
I saw 'A fish called Wanda' a while back but didn't know there was a sequel. You can imagine my joy when I found out that Cleese, Curtis, Kline & Palin had teamed up again. I won't bore you with the details of the plot as it will just be a rehash of what previous reviewers have said. The main thing you must be wondering if you've seen the first film is: Is this movie funnier? Or if you haven't seen "A fish called Wanda," Is it worth watching? The answer to both questions is yes. However it depends to a large extent on what you consider to be comedy. If you like Monty Python, Yes Minister, Fawlty towers, BlackAdder (generally British humor) etc...then this movie will definitely appeal to you. If you are more into the American-style 'action-comedies' this movie may not be as funny to you. Although most people think Kleese was the funniest, I liked Michael Palin as the loquacious know-it-all the best. I had to press pause a couple of times so that I could stop laughing before I continued with the movie. As in most other comedies there are the 'dry' parts, fortunately though, this movie has very few of those. My only gripe was that Kline's accent sounded more Australian than New Zealand, and he was supposed to be a Kiwi. This is not noticeable to those unfamiliar with these two accents, but it would be like having an American (U.S) actor use a Southern accent when playing a Canadian. Even with that petty 'grievance' I would highly recommend this movie. If you can, you should also watch "A fish called Wanda" which is equally funny.

John Cleese at his best:
This movie caught me by surprise. Having not seen "A Fish Called Wanda" I was greatly surprised by the interaction of the characters in this very funny movie. The movie starts a little slow at first with Cline and Curtis and Kevin Cline is not at his best in this film, he plays more of a straight man and does that well. The movie is a take off of the Rupert Murdoch empire and is a slam at the Merger and Acquisition frenzy of the mid to late 90s where companies were acquired then sold off if not a cash cow and the proceeds used to buy other companies. In this case the company that Octopus - The name of Kevin Cline's company- acquires is a zoo in London. There are some great plays with the animals and the scenes where Cline and Curtis think that Rollo Lee (Cleese) is a casanova are just hilarious. I was in stiches watching this funny and even heart warming film. The animals will make you go ahhhhh. The fluffy zoo animals, the not fierce ones, are what make it a guy/girl movie and Cleese does a great job of bringing his characters together. This is a must if you want to laugh.

Incredibly dreadful:
The only explanation for so many positive reviews here is the existence of some sort of negative universe where up is down and bad is good. The whole premise is completely lame and the execution is even worse. The usual dependable Kline is just horrible here. He's trying to revive his dumb guy role from Wanda but he's WAY over the top, almost shouting every line. Everything about this movie is forced and awkward. Cleese, while hilarious in Fawlty Towers, simply tries to use the same elements from that show here but his performance falls totally flat given the abysmal script, that apparently only he is to blame. His performance looks forced and out of place. There isn't a single funny scene or performance in this entire mess. What a waste of so much talent. Buy Fawlty Towers to see top notch writing and razor sharp acting and Cleese at his best.

Good movies presented badly:
This is a very good movie but to get the feel of the full story it needs to be seen in the original aspect ratio of 2.35 to 1.Many scenes edges are chopped off and distractingly paned across. Universal releases several other of its popular (and not so popular)films in widesceen format so why not this popular movie. I would recommend the widescreen version of the video tape if you can find it over the full screen dvd. So to Universal get this movie on dvd the way it was filmed and intended to be seen, please !

Apparently, a minority opinion:
Unlike others, I liked this much more than "A Fish Called Wanda". I can't really say why - all the principal actors are the same. Perhaps it's just that it's not as edgy as "Wanda" and I'm a sucker for a comedy with a streak of sweetness. Michael Palin was funnier in Wanda, but Kevin Kline's dual role here is suitably smarmy and villainous without going as far over the top as I felt he did in "Wanda". Jamie Lee Curtis is good in both, but John Cleese really won me over with his hapless charm as the wannabe corporate exec with a heart of gold.