Rating: 
Summary: Don't go onto this "Beach"
Review: "The Beach" boldly goes where plenty of movies have gone before, into the idea that there is no real paradise and that human beings can be hideously cruel. (That's probably the message -- it all became so jumbled that it's impossible to tell the filmmakers' intent) It almost makes our shallow, materalistic culture look appealing, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intent.Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a spoiled American teenager looking for a vague "something different," and to find it he has to go to Bangkok. In his grubby motel room, he encounters a pair of French tourists, Etienne (Guillaume Canet) and Françoise (Virginie Ledoyen), and a weird suicidal guy, Daffy (Robert Carlyle) who gives Richard a map to a paradise on a nearby island. Richard leads his French friends to the island, but not before leaving a copy of the map for a pair of stoner buddies. The three swim to the island, and narrowly avoid being spitted by marijuana farmers. Soon they encounter an idyllic group of former tourists, now settled down to a life of peace, love, and pot. But soon Richard has found that there is a dark underbelly to the beautiful civilization -- and he succumbs to that darkness... If "Beach" had been played for light laughs, it would have worked. The funny moments are what saves the movie from utter mediocrity. But instead "Beach" insists on slipping into a painfully cliched path, and though DiCaprio does seem to be trying to salvage his character (if Richard can be called a character) the movie is too flimsy to support the weight of its intended message. It would help if Richard weren't such a pain. He's spoiled, self-absorbed, willing to sleep with any willing female, antagonistic and amoral -- and that's before he comes to the island. We don't really care about Richard's descent into darkness and madness, because we're given no reason to like this cheating, self-absorbed brat. Worse yet, we're supposed to sympathize with his disgust over American culturre, yet the messy streets look far better than paradise. Guillaume Canet's Etienne will get more sympathy -- he seems to retain his ethics, while losing his girlfriend to Richard (in a very weird underwater love scene) Virginie Ledoyen is quite convincing, but is sadly given little to do except smolder at Richard and then smack him in the head. Tilda Swinton is convincing but unsympathetic as Sal, the cold leader of the group who blackmails Richard into sleeping with her. The humorous moments work best: The Swedish fishermen introducing themselves to the camera, the germ-obsessed cook ("Still I smell fish!"), Richard doing an electrocution impression, the various islanders making their shopping requests, and a perky English villager obsessing on cricket. But at the same time, there are endless shots of Richard glowering at the camera, and one bizarre sequence that shows DiCaprio as a video game character. (Strangely enough, these scenes of psychosis are where DiCaprio is his best) The main upside of these is the beautiful beach and ocean, as well as the outstanding sky shots. It's "Lord of the Flies" meets "Titanic," with some fairly explicit sex scenes and some really disgusting shots of shark bites. Only a die-hard DiCaprio-ite will want to see this mess. Or anybody who has ever wanted to see him eat a caterpillar and get groin-pinched.
Rating:
Summary: COULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT FILM. -too bad!
Review: This is an absolute vanity project made to cash in the DiCaprio's boosting into stardom. After the millions in TITANIC and the millions of screaming fans, someone thought that he (DiCaprio) alone would be enough to carry a film. Maybe if the screenplay were good it would be true. But truth is the screenplay is bad (not diCaprio's fault) and the result is a bad film. The story starts interesting, but it turns more and more stupid as the film progresses. FIRST, the screenwriter had the bad idea of putting the DiCaprio character's phylosophy in a somewhat déja-vu voiceover that we have seen before in FIGHT CLUB. But in FIGHT CLUB that voiceover made sense and was very witty. Here, it's just plain stupid and hugely pretentious.
SECOND, the story makes all characters shallow and hypocritical. Does anybody really believe those people lived in a perfect communion with nature when all we see is a continuous rave? (not to mention their nature-unfriendly desire for many civilization goods) I absolutely agreed with the drug dealers who wanted them out of the island (I would have wanted the same!). Some people argue that the film is about the corruption of an ideal and all that, and I believe this was the true intention of the producers (when the story was pitched), but really... the film is poorly constructed and the characters are so dumb I wonder how they menaged to live together for so long. Good thing about the film: Cinematography is great. Go travel somewhere instead! Go to the beach instead! Leave this film alone!!
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect analysis and critique of hedonism
Review: The movie, at the beginning actually looked like a typical American romantic drama. I was just concentrated on what would happen next to keep watching the film and didn't really take it seriously...until the shark attack. Then the movie's main point became clearer. The Swedish fishers were severely hurt that they instantly became disabled. As the rest of the inhabitants of the beach disloyally left them dieing, the real essence of the movie appeared obviously: Defining and expressing the inhuman-immoral structure of hedonism & materialism through a well-described hedonist world and deeply portrayed characters. One can even get the movie's further implications and close links with today's world.
Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing setup descends to absurdity and boredom
Review: This movie was interesting at the beginning, when we see our lead character (DeCaprio) arrive in a foreign coastal city, and come upon a map to "the beach," a mysterious tropical paradise. When he finally gets there, the scenery remains attratctive but the movie loses its grip on us. Plot lines go from bad to ridiculous, and characters make actions we cant comprehend. Near the end, the film tries to teach us some sort of lesson about living life to its fullest, but it comes off as forced and contrived. Stay away from this "beach"
Rating: 
Summary: The only thing this movie shows is that shark attacks [stink]
Review:
Pretty good movie at the beginning, but it kind of dissolves in the end. Beautiful scenery and people, but the story is good only for half the movie. DiCaprio was really good, a lot better than the material with which he was working.
This movie will, however, teach you not to mess with sharks.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive
Review: This movie starring Mr. DiCaprio is actualy pretty good. The script is unique and engaging, and he does a fine job at acting a very challenging role. The scenery is stunning, and the story moves a long at a suitable pace. This film also brings up some important questions about one's 'Pursuit of Paradise', and how that might not always be as good as one might think. But ho-hum, in the end DiCaprio back in the internet cafe, and his efforet to live out in nature is narrowed down then to 'just a wild adventure'. Thus, the idea of long-term alternative living is ultimately portrayed as either backwards, or not pullable, or both. Too bad- one does not have to be a hippy-dippy, pipe-dream freak to unplug for good, and make it work... (Just read Thoreau).
But its a good film nevertheless...
Rating:
Summary: Scrawny Individualism
Review: "The Beach" is essentially the story of a scrawny, spoiled brat named Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) who joins a bunch of self-centered Western hippies on a hidden Thai island and comes to believe he's in paradise for all the wrong reasons. From the start Richard never really engages Thailand on its own terms and instead experiences that country strictly from the point of view of a vapid, sullen, consumer-oriented American youth. When he and his more attractive French friends, Francoise (Virginie ledoyen) and Etienne (Guillaume Canet) reach the island, they delight in their new found utopia. But Richard has the hots for Francoise and somehow persuades her to leave Etienne for him. Why the seemingly intelligent Francoise deserts her rugged, handsome, and very humane companion for some sullen, self-absorbed little brat is one of the film's enduring mysteries. However, in a deeply emotional sugar cane cutting scene, Etienne gives the couple his blessing and allows them to play vomiting turtle with a clear conscience. In what should be a romantic scene of nocturnal nookie in the sea, the babe and the brat wade out to star lit lagoon for some amphibious goo shooting. After a brief swim and a swirl, Virgie and Leo wrap their legs around each other and repeatedly redefine the term "chicken of the sea". Unfortunately, between the awkward motions and idiotic music, this scene just tries too hard to seem sensual, and as anyone with maritime experience knows, the calking gun can only squirt its glue into the seams of the ship when both are on the shore. It takes a willing suspension of one's disbelief to accept the fact that Leo has the right tool for the job let alone that it can plug leaks when soaked to the gill. There is also the disturbing element of the sharks, but we don't encounter them until later in the film. For some reason they don't show up at night to champ on Leo's love tentacle, but maybe the bait simply isn't big enough to attract them. But all is not well in paradise. For one thing, the island's British Matriarch takes Richard to the mainland to purchase supplies but really winds wrapping her love tunnel around his Ford Probe. When they return to the island she banishes him to some remote cliffs to keep a watch on some tourists who thanks to Richard's earlier blunder are on the verge of discovering the island. In the subsequent scenes of Richard's banishment, the film does an extremely poor imitation of "Apocalypse Now" and has him lose his mind as he begins to blend with the jungle. In several ridiculous scenes Richard plays practical jokes on Thai opium farmers but is somehow never caught and punished. Now let's think about this for a moment. These are armed, ruthless criminals, born and raised in this type of environment and thoroughly familiar with the terrain, yet they are constantly duped by a boy whose survival skills are limited to throwing a tantrum if his mother doesn't drive him to the mall to purchase some new sneakers. Sometimes I like to amuse myself by replaying those scenes in my mind and imaging what would really happen to him. Anyway, there is a climactic denouement paradise is destroyed but Richard comes out of it a better man; ya da ya da ya da, the end. If this film weren't so shallow I would almost suspect that it is a plug for Western civilization. For one thing the film only focuses on Westerners in Thailand, but never has its skeletal protagonist actually experience the country on its own terms. Rather than exploring Thai culture, and history not to mention the warmth and sincerity of the average Thai person, Richard hangs out with some Westerners in Thailand and then rejects them for other Westerners in Thailand. Ultimately this film is about a frail and shallow boy who acts like a jerk, gets a little roughed up and talks about it in his best café voice. Hmmm, maybe it isn't a plug for Western civilization.
Rating:
Summary: PERFECT BEACH. UNEVEN FLICK.
Review: The most beautiful of all movie beaches is probably the one in this unsatisfying film with a tantalizing premise and breathtaking, dreamlike imagery, starring Leonardo Dicaprio as an amoral, cowardly pothead who seeks to live his life as a videogame. Danny Boyle directs with a reserve that is unlike his turn in "Transpotting." So turn down the sound, forget the story, and get lost in the beauty of a living Eden.
Rating:
Summary: Shock or better: Disappointment
Review: In the beginning, I have to say that we read the book "The Beach" during English classes at school (I'm from Austria and in the 7th form now) and afterwards, we watched the film.
Well, about two weeks ago we saw "The beach", and I really imagined a completely different film, after I read the book, I was sort of impatient, I wanted to watch the film, but as we started watching the film, I thought, Ok, but...
The, when we continued and I felt more and more worse, about the settings, about the plot, about all the not so important and more important details I missed, about the whole making-off. To my eyes this film is a perfect example for a n Hollywood production - the whole story with all of its psychological contents is reduced, and the movie just contains sex and action scenes (to be watched or to be lucrative). I think this is a miserable production, perhaps the fault of the director, perhaps a fault of Hollywood, perhaps even a fault of the famous main character.
But I can say to all of you, who saw the film, but didn't like it: Read the book, it's much better!
Rating:
Summary: Nothing like it!
Review: Everytime I watch this DVD I get so entranced by the scenery and storyline. Everyone of us has dreamed of a place like this!
Aside from being breathtaking to watch, "The Beach" is also filled with philosophical observations the viewer will find very interesting.
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