Watch Fierce Creatures

Fierce Creatures is a 1997 British-American comedy film directed by Robert Young and starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Kline. The movie is a spiritual successor to the 1988 hit film A Fish Called Wanda as it features several of the same key players. The movie revolves around the down-on-its-luck Marwood Zoo, which is facing bankruptcy. To save the Zoo from closure, a group of wealthy investors, led by the ruthless Rod McCain (Kevin Kline) takes over the Zoo and assigns the task of increasing the Zoo's revenue to the new management team led by Rollo Lee (John Cleese). Rollo Lee is a zoological expert and curator who is initially successful in turning the Zoo's fortunes around. However, when the investors demand returns faster than he can deliver, Rollo comes up with a novel idea - to create smaller exhibits inside the Zoo, featuring only the fiercest and most dangerous animals. The plan seems to work at first, and the new attractions are a hit with the public. However, things start to go awry when the animals refuse to behave as expected, and the human staff at the Zoo begin to engage in a series of absurd and convoluted schemes to try and cover up their mistakes.

As Rollo and his team struggle to keep the Zoo afloat, they are also faced with the challenge of dealing with the eccentric investors - McCain, his daughter, Willa (Jamie Lee Curtis), and son Vince (also played by Kline). While Willa is eager to embrace the new direction that Rollo has taken the Zoo in, Vince is a loose cannon who constantly undermines Rollo's efforts. There is also a budding romance between Rollo and Willa, which is complicated by the fact that Rollo is already married to a paranoid and possessive spouse.

Fierce Creatures plays on the viewer's love of absurdity, with a series of deliberately over-the-top set pieces and comedic moments throughout. The script is filled with clever one-liners and running gags, and the performances by the ensemble cast are uniformly excellent. John Cleese is especially good as the beleaguered Rollo Lee, bringing his trademark mixture of exasperation and sarcasm to the character. However, Jamie Lee Curtis is also a standout as Willa McCain, playing the role with a delightful blend of vulnerability and determination.

The movie is also notable for its cutting satire of the corporate world, lampooning the greed and inhumanity of big business through the portrayal of the investors who run the Zoo. The film's message is clear: the quest for profit at all costs is ultimately destructive and inhumane.

Overall, Fierce Creatures is a witty and entertaining comedy that is sure to delight fans of A Fish Called Wanda and anyone who enjoys clever wordplay and absurd humor. While it may not be quite as classic as its predecessor, it is nonetheless a hilarious and enjoyable romp that stands on its own merits.

Fierce Creatures is a 1997 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 33 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.4 and a MetaScore of 62.