User reviews

I watched this doc thinking it was about unmasking the Zodiac killer. It is not. It is about an abandoned boy's longing to find his missing father which turns to obsession. The first three episodes are gripping if you think you are about to see the Zodiac unveiled, then the bubble is burst in the fourth episode when you discover you have been led down a path on which the author and the perpetrator of the lie himself have been lost using the same erroneous conclusions based on misleading misinformation.

A big disappointment for any viewer, unless you watch to see a sad man waste his life fooling himself with his own lies. In the end I felt for him, but more felt disgust that the filmmakers would profit from this broken man's story and would waste our time on it.

"The Most Dangerous Animal of All" is a well-made docuseries that grips you from the get-go. The dismal reviews on IMDB could be due to the disappointment some viewers might have felt upon realizing that this series is not what they thought it would be.

The series takes great pain in meticulously recreating the monumental research led by Mr. Stewart in unearthing who his father was - was he the infamous serial killer, Zodiac, or was he a mentally disturbed man who happened to have lived a rather peculiar parallel life with the real Zodiac? He carries deep mental scars related to abandonment by his father, broken personal relations, and, most importantly - shattered self-identity. I was moved by Gary Stewart's unrelenting pursuit to discover his origins. He worked hard in order to prove to himself that his present self is a manifestation of the actions of a deeply disturbed individual. I was disappointed when it is subsequently revealed that he might have made critical errors in coming to that judgment. There are some compelling pieces of evidence presented that almost had me convinced that his father was indeed the Zodiac. Then the director introduces you to facts that make you realize that Gary had and is still being sucked into a deep rabbit hole. It is heartbreaking to see his inability to walk away even when critical facts, as and when presented, contradicts the complex narrative that he has created over the past seventeen years. Events are presented based on the book, and once the thread of unbelievable coincidences is put under the microscope, the facade begins to crumble. Even the co-author of Gary's book is eventually left flabbergasted.

The technical aspects of the series are solid - the sense of foreboding, moody lighting, chilling sound design, surreal reenactments, scenes of forensic importance - are all done very well. They all seem appropriate for the dark subject matter of a series that dares to support and then tear down an unbelievable theory that left the experts scratching their heads.

I'll highly recommend this program if you are interested in discovering how far a broken spirit will go, even at the expense of coming across as self-serving, for a peaceful resolution that is still far from having been achieved. It seems Gary Stewart wants to catch lightning in a bottle; he wants to own a phantom and make it known to the world as his unfortunate destiny. Unfortunately, it is abundantly clear that it is not the case.

The number of reviewers who missed the POINT of this documentary is painful to behold. This documentary is not about solving the Zodiac case. A lot of these reviewers also seem to be reviewing the people in the documentary rather than the documentary itself. The documentary is telling a story ABOUT these people, it's not a platform for their beliefs.

You'll learn a lot by watching this, just drop your preconceived notions about what it is. No one's duping you here, you're duping yourselves by dgoingin assuming this is something it isn't.. This documentary makes an incredibly important point, one that is as profound right here and now in the US than it has ever been.

I bet these same people would say "Dear Zachary" duped them.and they want their money back.

This was sad - on a deep level. Gary (the main character) was so mentally and emotionally unstable, that by the 2nd episode, I was done watching it. Seeing this obsessive man justify his his issues by calling it "I have to find my father"...so much so that he literally ruins every single relationship in real life in order to feed a delusion all to try to make the Zodiac killer "fit" his narrative and allow him to be SOMEBODY (after what obviously is debilitating low self esteem). His poor wife HAS to be a victim of emotional and verbal abuse...smh. No adult that broken or obsessive has ANY healthy relationships - I'm sorry.

This documentary proves that; 1. We believe the evidence that is given to us and we trust that is credible and has credible sources.

2. We find enough pieces and we make them fit.

A lot of effort went into this documentary fluff piece so I do not want to come down too hard on the filmmakers and narrator Gary L. Stewart, who claims that his father may have been the Zodiac killer. Sometimes an obsession just gets the better of a person.

I must say that I enjoyed this documentary and in all fairness the documentary did indicate some of the flaws in Gary L. Stewart's claims.

Intrigue and the mystery surrounding who is the Zodiac serial killer has been high for decades and the pieces of the story we do know about him have been captured in a few crime films over the decades. This documentary provided some insight I was not previously aware of, and Gary L. Stewart may be a bag of emotions, but kudos to him and the production team for making a decent four (4) part documentary on the infamy of the Zodiac serial killer.

I give it a 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Be prepared for 4-hours of an emotionally-damaged cast with deep-rooted self-esteem issues. None of whom seem to care about each other's well-being, but only about their own reputations and egos. I can appreciate the fact that the documentary came full-circle and didn't try to sell you on a single idea necessarily, but it was 4 hours wasted all the same.

What starts as a cautionary tale as to how it is dangerous to start an investigation after already drawing your own conclusion devolves into the nonsensical ravings of someone desperate for fame. He is clearly NOT an impartial investigator but rather someone desperate to prove his own theory and sell books. Case in point with his "proof" that he pulled from the cypher. He attacks anyone with differences of opinion or actual facts that disprove his claims rather than respond with evidence of his own. He claims a police investigator would actually coverup the identity of a famous serial killer rather than bring the information to light and become the most famous cop in america. The lunatic even bought glasses to make himself look like the composite sketch of the zodiac. He is clearly sick and perhaps that's why women keep divorcing him and because of his fear of abandonment. The only person who "believes" him is the AUTHOR WHO JUST WANTS TO SELL BOOKS.

This 4-ep mini-series was well-made, in my opinion.

Kept me glued to my seat for the first 3.5 episodes. The last 1/2 of the 4th ep. caused me to deduct 2 stars.

Overall, it was entertaining and well produced.