Rating: 
Summary: The Beach
Review: I think this movie is incredibly slow-moving, boring, but unpredictable. The special effects aren't that good, The movie is way too long, and the end was so, very truly, horribly, terribly, unspeakably, tragiclly, completely, totaly WEAK! I got very dissapointed from this movie, and I highly recommend anybody to skip it.
Rating:
Summary: An Unnatural Disaster
Review: First of all, I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was wonderful in "Titanic." This is not his fault. He's a fine actor, but even the best can only do so much with the material they're given. I don't think even Greenpeace could have saved this "Beach"-ed whale! (Is it possible to give a film NO stars? )
Rating: 
Summary: well.... I liked it
Review: Why do people dislike this movie so much? Or should I say, why do they dislike it to the point that they would vote it "worst movie of the year?" I read the book first, and when the movie came out, I decided I wanted to see it despite the lukewarm reviews it was getting. (Although I loved the book, I felt it too had some flaws, so I was expecting some in the movie as well.) I ended up waiting for the video release so that if it was truly terrible, at least I would only be out two dollars. Well, I was surprised to see that although it wasn't a masterpiece, it wasn't trash either (in my opinion).Richard is a 20-something American traveler in Thailand. He is presented with a map to an island by a half-crazed but likeable Scot going by the name of "Daffy Duck", who subsequently kills himself in his hostel room. Richard, who is a little unsettled at the tourist-trap environment he has experienced so far on his journey, is curious enough to try to make it to this island paradise. He gets a young French couple to go with him, but before the last leg of the trip, he also gives a copy of the map (on a whim) to a group of American guys he has just met. He doesn't tell Francoise or Etienne (the French couple) that he is doing this, since the map is supposed to be a secret... and most viewers can guess that betraying this secret becomes Richard's downfall. I won't go any further into the story than that. If you have read the book, be prepared for some serious plot changes in the movie. This usually bothers me but for some reason, with the exception of the predictable movie romance between Richard and Francoise, it didn't bug me this time. I think of it as two distinct tellings of the same basic story, and the themes and lessons of the movie remain true to the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Noir Bizarre
Review: Leonardo DiCaprio must have been very desperate for an antihero role to agree to this turkey of a script. No amount of camera magic by Danny Boyle or idyllic locations could save this dreadful story. It spasmodically progresses from implausible, to inconceivable and finally to demented. It is 'Fantasy Island' meets 'Apocalypse Now'. The only way to classify it would be Noir Bizarre. John Hodge and Danny Boyle team up to prove that one success in avant-garde filmmaking (Trainspotting) does not necessarily spill over into future projects, though I must say that Boyle's direction was the only thing that kept this film from being a total disaster. His brilliant camerawork and cinematography helped keep my mind off the peculiar and disjointed content. As far as the acting goes, this was The Leonardo DiCaprio Show. Though there were additional characters in the film, other than a cameo by Robert Carlyle they were the equivalent of extras that had been elevated to speaking parts. DiCaprio gave a good performance, but his character was so mercurial that it is hard to say he really nailed it. He ran around with his shirt off a lot, so I guess that will keep the teenyboppers happy. I rated this film a 4/10 on the strength of the cinematography. The story was a 1 or 2 at best and DiCaprio was not enough to elevate it to the level of mediocrity. This is a film for die-hard Leo fans only.
Rating: 
Summary: Lord of the Flies echo
Review: Di Caprio is great in "The Beach," which reminds me of Golding's "Lord of the Flies." After having seen the film, then I would like to get hold of the novel which is the basis of this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: It Must Have Looked Good on Paper
Review: As I watched this film, I kept thinking about how much potential the material had and how good the story must have looked on paper. It is watchable, but the lack of character development is disappointing. The ending just fizzles out and I immediately thought of better alternative endings. The photography is fantastic and gets your attention. It is too bad the film doesn't deliver. I can think of scenes that could have been cut , in order to make room for better plot development. I am tempted to read the book now to find out more about the characters the film didn't provide.
Rating:
Summary: Splashing in the Shallows
Review: Think "Lord of the Flies" meets "Fight Club" meets "Blue Lagoon" and you'll get the basic idea of what this movie is trying to say. I think LOTF captured every nuance of utopia gone sour, FC captured the sense of abandonment dredged up by utopian dreams gone sour, and BL captured the dreamy state of love far from civilization...but "The Beach" merely pretends to be so insightful or thought-provoking, and provides little insight into life or love. You're not sure? Watch this movie without the voice-over by DeCaprio and it loses its bite. The concept is firmly in place, I'll give it that. Even the yearning to escape society's problems leads us back to the problems we each face within. None of us is perfect, thus, in any social setting, structure and forgiveness must play a balancing act. In this film, that concept is portrayed...and that's it. It goes no deeper. It splashes its pretentious hand in the shallows along the sparkling shoreline, and fails to draw out anything deeper. The romantic notions boil down to jealousy and momentary infatuation; the violent fantasies of deCaprio soon become predicted nightmares; and the final showdown with the utopian leader shows how truly fragile everyone's ideologies were in the first place. DeCaprio's acting is fine, the photography gorgeous, and the director takes an occasional foray into truly creative movie-making. But in the end, we're left with the sense of having been cheated by a noble idea wrapped in beautiful but flimsy packaging.
Rating:
Summary: Only Worth a Look if You Read the Book!
Review: The book The Beach was pretty interesting. As a frequent traveller to Asia the idea of a backpacker colony was very intriguing. It baffles my mind when I have have meet people who like to hike in places like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and other Asian countries for extended periods of time with little money or supplies. The first 2/3 of the book were fantastic. It did a great job describing backpacker culture and the quest of the characters to find this mystical beach. The book was also good showing life in this beach and the tensions created by the main character. I feel the book feel apart at the end as the narrator lives out his Vietnam movie fantasies. I feel the movie fails in this place also. Like the book most of the movie is pretty good. But the movie handles the Vietnam fantasy worse than the book. Plus unlike the book, the movie in the beginning barely touches upon the Vietnam thing. So people unfamiliar with the book will be even more confused. The bottom line is that this movie gets confusing and fizzles out. It just is not very good. Yes the DVD has good extra features and the acting is good too. But, it just gets boring. The film lacks a good climax. I do not recommend buying this DVD or even renting it. If you have read the book, its worth a look, but if not, do not even bother.
Rating:
Summary: Independent Travel... ''The Beach'' On DVD
Review: Why do people travel? The answer is held within the first 5 minutes of radical filming of this stunning adventurous travel dream. The Beach, purposely or not, exposes the true insolence behind mindless sheep-like travellers, while opening minds to the contemporary idealism of independent travel. With scenery that makes the grand canyon seem insignificant, the sounds of how you would sound lost on a desert island - this truly is one of the great 2000 releases. ADVANTAGES: many, many, many, many features. DISADVANTAGES: dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack (not DTS)
Rating:
Summary: Read the book
Review: And I thought the book was bad - this movie was terrible. Leonardo is a non-talent.
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