Some things I liked some I did not.

not horrible nor great

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

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.

So back in 1988 there was a highly quirky, sexy British crime heist movie with a mix of top cult British and American stars, it was a huge (and surprising) success. Nine years later the same team were back in this sort of sequel, or maybe prequel, no one was really sure. In the end it was just another comedy utilising the same cast, however, the novelisation of the film actually explains how both movies connect, but no one cares about the book so...The plot is radically different from the 'A Fish Called Wanda', this is not any kind of crime comedy but it still involves unscrupulous people. Its all about John Cleese's character Rollo coming to look after a small typically British zoo of mainly small harmless animals, which he then tries to convert into a zoo full of fierce creatures. He has to do this because the main company he works for (that own the zoo) wants better revenue from the attraction hotspot. Thusly he is instantly at odds with the zoo's team of caring keepers who obviously are against this. At the same time Rollo must contend with Willa Weston and Vince McCain (Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline) who are overseeing this latest acquisition by the company to make sure it makes money.You see the problem with this comedy is the fact they have tried to basically remake 'Wanda'. Many of scenes in this film are rehashes from the original and are going for exactly the same laughs, the cast are playing virtually the same kind of characters and in the case of Jamie Lee Curtis her characters name has clearly been made as close as possible to Wanda (Willa). I really don't understand why they have done this because everyone knows this kind of thing hardly ever works, it doesn't matter how grand your cast roster is.Much of the said cast is of course taken from the first movie, and I don't just mean the main cast either, many smaller roles and cameos feature actors/actresses from the first movie. Does that somehow make things better? are these actors suppose to connect this story to the first movie somehow? Apparently not as this is supposed to be more of a stand alone movie...so why use the same cast then?? I mean sure the use of the classic British comedic legend Ronnie Corbett is very nice, a nice addition, but he barely does anything and is clearly there just to ramp up the star meter. Its an all British type affair so lets get some British gems of comedy...yeah OK but at least make use of them, at least make a good film with them.I mean watching Cleese in this is actually cringeworthy, he's doing all his usual typical funny little quirks he's done his entire career because that's what people expect, but its old hat now. He brings nothing new to the table here which isn't entirely his fault because (like I said) people wanna see that but you gotta try and break the mould guy! In short Cleese is basically Basil Fawlty in charge of a zoo...but not as funny, sweet idea, but like I said its not as funny as it sounds. At the same time watching Cleese trying to act sexy and dashing whilst cuddling up to Curtis (again) is horrible!! its like watching your aging dad trying to be sexy n cool with a younger woman, God no! As pointed out already Curtis plays the same character again too, a sexual female predator that is after Rollo but has to shake off the ever lurking Vincent (Kline), yet again. This leads to Kline who (as in the first movie) is head and shoulders above the rest giving the best performance. Kline seems to be really really good at playing the brash, pig-headed, egotistical Yank that won't think twice about being a complete sh*t no matter who's watching. He's rude, arrogant and cruel (yet again) and has his target set on Cleese's character Rollo (yet again), you notice I'm having to type 'yet again' quite often here. Do I have to mention Palin and his character that bares a remarkably close resemblance to his character in 'Wanda'? Nope, its the same character.Don't get me wrong this isn't a terrible movie, its not all bad, there are some nice moments of farcical humour, just not that much is all. It has everything you'd expect from a naughty British comedy that has two Pythons in it (no not the scaly reptilian kind). Characters running around in their underwear (Cleese again!), lots of sexual double entendres, silly visual gags, pratfalls, slapstick and the odd hint of violence which you of course don't actually see. Thing is, the first movie was a smart, witty, sexy, dark comedy aimed at adults. This movie is a childish, immature, infantile, watered down excuse of a comedy that isn't really aimed at anyone. The kids won't appreciate the performances (or at least what they were aiming for) and there's nothing too visually appealing going on for them either, whilst its way too dumb and soft for adults. There's no point having Jamie Lee Curtis looking all slinky if she's not gonna actually do anything.I think the idea for a quaint little British zoo battling against corporate suits is fine and has promise, but its been completely squandered here. For the first time ever I would have to say that the shenanigans of both Cleese and Palin actually bored and annoyed me at times. I've never really come across a movie that has tried to pretty much copy its predecessors formula so blatantly. I mean seriously! why would you even watch this when you have the first movie which is exactly the same and so much better.4/10

Although it has the three main characters from "A Fish Called Wanda," this film sure isn't a sequel to that one. It's a whole new plot, and though not quite a funny as their first, the three stars still are quite hilarious here."Fierce Creatures" pokes a lot of fun at a lot of things – most, very subtly. The PG-13 rating is right on. I suspect whomever decides those things did so here because some children might be offended because they don't understand the treatment of animals. Actually, the film is quite adult in its humor with its subtle sexual innuendos. They are mostly very funny. Most young teens today probably wouldn't get them either. This movie clearly was made for adults, and it's a real hoot. I don't know any other comedy actor today who can play the naïve (almost) innocent guy of good intentions who turns out to be such a buffoon. John Cleese (as Rollo Lee) always nails such roles. Those, and his sardonic Basil Fawlty are great sources for tons of laughter. All the roles are played well here. Kevin Kline is very good in his double role. His Rod McCain seems overblown, but I suspect it's meant to be so, and is still quite funny. Some of the greatest humor is in the scenes where we see Jamie Lee Curtis as Willa Weston, and her look of fantasy with a smile on her face. They happen each time there are innuendos of Cleese's Rollo having various sexual trysts. One can imagine her thoughts. This is a very funny film that many people are sure to like. Here are some sample lines to whet one's appetite. The zoo staff is trying to convince Rollo, the new zoo manager, that their small animals are ferocious. Rollo wants to feature the ferocious and scary to draw more crowds. Sydney, played by Robert Lindsay, has a sign up warning people about the dangerous meerkats. Rollo tells him it's preposterous. Sydney, "Oh, you've never been attacked by one, sir." Rollo, "Nobody's been attacked by one. Or, rather, if they have they never noticed."Rollo, "Look, look. I have to be hard-nosed. All the time. I mean McCain demands it. All the time. You've gotta be tough, tough, tough. God knows why." Willa. "You mean Octopus is ruled by fear?" Rollo, "No. No. By terror."No other zoos will take their small animals. Rollo tells the staff they will have to dispose of them. They bring the animals to him to shoot. Pip, played by Cynthia Cleese, says, "You will make it quick, sir, won't you?" Rollo, "What? You mean I'm not allowed to torture them a bit first just for fun? " Pip, "You wouldn't do that?" Rollo, "I wasn't serious, you stupid girl." Later, the zoo staff are gathered and they hear shots. They find Rollo patting the dirt on top of several apparent graves. They think he shot the small animals. Until later when they discover he has them as pets in his apartment.If this were a Marx Brothers film (in place of the three leads), it would be called "A Day at the Zoo."

this film is an underestimated masterpiece in the British comedy film file...cleese, Curtis,palin and Kline lead a British cast of legends....including the wonderful Carey Lowell(bond girl) and most of the cast from Wanda all making returns.Set in a zoo that needs to make money brings on lots of set pieces that could be so easily lengthened..but they are tight and funny.Ronnie Corbett, Robert Lindsay and Derek Griffith's lead the Brits with their usual aplomb and this works seamlessly with a bunch of people really enjoying their job and this shows.it didn't get the acclaim that Wanda got...that is a shame... because its a different movie and i think the critics were expecting a sequel of Wanda...what they get is something even more original, even funnier and in keeping with British farce with a plot...we get good comedy, beautiful ladies and brilliant performances from the animals...one of the funniest scenes is the hotel spider set always makes me laugh.If u ever need to introduce a fierce creatures policy - watch this film on NOT how to do it.....its an education