Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Ex-policeman Rollo Lee is sent to run Marwood Zoo, the newly acquired business of a New Zealand tycoon. In order to meet high profit targets and keep the zoo open, Rollo enforces a new 'fierce creatures' policy, whereby only the most impressive and dangerous animals are allowed to remain in the zoo. However, the keepers are less enthusiastic about complying with these demands.
Fierce Creatures is a loose spiritual sequel to A Fish Called Wanda, reuniting the same cast in a different comedic scenario. The plot is reasonably inventive with its corporate satire of zoo management and the 'fierce creatures' policy conceit, though it struggles with tonal inconsistency and a famously troubled production history resulting in a reshot ending. The acting from Cleese, Curtis, Kline, and Palin is reliable and charming, but the ensemble never quite gels the way it did in Wanda—the material lets them down more than they let the material down. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable for a British comedy of this era. Novelty is moderate: the corporate greed satire applied to a zoo setting is a distinct enough premise, but the film leans heavily on its predecessor's formula. The ending is widely regarded as its weakest element, feeling rushed and unsatisfying as a result of reshoots, failing to deliver a truly earned comedic payoff.