Waste of Money.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

There are plenty of tie-ins, and of course, the cast remains relatively intact, but the film itself, despite its few good surprises, is tremendously predictable and contrived. This is not to say there aren't good jokes; there are. And almost all of them come from or are at the expense of Vince, played by the marvelously funny Kevin Kline. A pet peeve of mine (and that truly was not a pun) is poorly done vulgarity; this is not a glowing endorsement of all vulgarity, but if you do it, do it correctly. The moments between Rollo (John Cleese) and Willa (Wanda- I mean Jamie Lee Curtis) are even more forced than in A Fish Called Wanda, which was at least part deliberate. The disbelief felt by Vince was so spectacular and of course intentional, but the unbelievability of it remained unmitigated. The strange thing is it almost seems they have less chemistry here than they do in "Wanda". It really is fully half as fun as A Fish Called Wanda, though, and since that one was an 8/10, technically this would be 4/10, especially due to the contrived and predictable moments, both of plot and reaction thereto. But those fun parts really do shine, as do the good quotes, almost entirely written for Vince, and perfectly portrayed by Kevin Kline.

Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the new executive in Octopus Inc. run by Rod McCain (Kevin Kline). She joins with Rod's son Vince (Kevin Kline) to manage the newly acquired zoo. Rollo Lee (John Cleese) starts out as the director sent by Octopus to raise profit margin to 20%. His idea is to have only fierce creatures. The shocked zookeepers dare Rollo to kill some of the non-fierce creatures. He pretends to and instead keeps the animals at his place. Willa and Vince mistakenly thinks that Rollo is a ladies man. After an incident, Rollo is demoted. Willa is still fascinated by Rollo's supposed womanizing and Vince has even crazier ideas for the zoo.This is a real disappointment and a giant step down from the same crew that made 'A Fish Called Wanda'. It's a lot of wackiness without being funny. The story is completely stupid without being funny. The characters are all crazy without being funny. It's like the gang decided to pile on wacky things on top of wacky things. But none of it is funny. If it has any chance, the movie should have started in the zoo. The opening at the corporate office is a waste of time that achieved nothing.

If Fierce Creatures does not make you appreciate the number of people who volunteer to care for the exotic animals in today's zoos who were never asked if they wanted to leave their habitat to be on exhibit than I don't know what will. Even worse the thought of privatizing zoos to someone who is a philistine like the father that Kevin Kline plays.Kline plays the Rupert Murdoch like father who heads an international conglomerate and he also plays his wastrel and oafish son as well.Father Kline introduces what he thinks is a new policy, the zoo will only exhibit the most dangerous and Fierce Creatures to give the public thrills and chills. Obviously this lugnut has never heard of petting zoos. He sends new director John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis to run the place. Soon though they are on the side of the staff, but still have to make the zoo be a money maker to satisfy the boss.A lot of the humor in Fierce Creatures involves the various crazy marketing techniques designed. Since along with Cleese a whole lot of the Monty Python alumni are in this film you know it is going to be zany.Lots of Monty Pythonesque type humor in Fierce Creatures and that's always good.

I should say first (and this is absolutely true) that my Mum and brother applied to an advert to be extras in this film, filmed at Marwell Zoo, and we have pictures of all the cast, and my brother with stars Michael Palin and Ronnie Corbett, it's just a shame their scene was cut. Anyway, A Fish Called Wanda was a fantastic comedy written by John Cleese, this follow-up may not be as funny, but it is quite fun to watch. Basically Rollo Lee (Cleese) has become the new director of London's Marwood Zoo to raise more business after being bought by America's Octopus Inc. run by tycoon Rod McCain (Kevin Kline). Rollo says however that they will get rid of all cuddly and gentle animals, and only keep the fierce ones, for more excitement, making the animal keepers including Sydney Lotterby (Robert Lindsay), unendingly talkative Adrian 'Bugsy' Malone (Palin), Reggie Sea Lions (Corbett) and Cub Felines (Licence to Kill's Carey Lowell) very unhappy. Soon enough though the Americans, McCain's son Vince McCain (also Kline) and up-and-coming business executive Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis), come to the zoo to take control, and revoke the fierce animal policy. Vince instead creates a series of vicious schemes to attract customers, such as unauthorised celebrity endorsements, overpriced zoo merchandise, and robotic animals (such as a panda) instead of real ones. Meanwhile, Willa has grown to love both the animals and a reformed Rollo, and with the zoo keepers, they all plan to stop Rod McCain, who knows about Vince stealing from the zoo fund, from turning the zoo into a golf course for the Japanese. It is when Rod is unintentionally shot that Vince has to become him and save the zoo, which he does, and everything is put right in the end, Rollo even bags Willa with her thinking he is a sex mad man. There are some good small jokes, the cast members all get their individual giggles, so there are some things to be liked about it. Worth watching!