Back home

The Beach

4556 votes

Producing House

Twenty-something Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss - excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2000-02-03

Runtime: 119 mins

Director: Danny Boyle

Spoken language: English, Français, Hrvatski, svenska, ภาษาไทย

Genres: Drama, Adventure, Romance, Thriller

Original title: The Beach

Production Companies: Figment Films

Production Countries: United Kingdom

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
We are lucky that the photography depicts some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth as the rest of this adaptation of Alex Garland's book is positively stodgy. Talking of beautiful things, Leonardo DiCaprio still has something of his "Romeo & Juliet" (1996) boyishness to him as he arrives in Thailand. After an encounter with an enigmatic Scotsman (Robert Carlyle) who doesn't last for long, he finds himself in possession of a map that sets himself and a couple of travelling companions on a quest to find to a beautiful paradise island that is well off the beaten track. After a few tricky experiences that remind them all that it's called a wilderness for a reason, they arrive to find that "Sal" (Tilda Swinton) has already set up camp and with what amounts to a naturist commune has strict rules for those who want to remain there. Initially this idyll works for all, but a trip to town for supplies redefines the relationship between "Richard" and his host, and his own stupidity leaves a path for others to follow. With tragedy and bloodshed now ensuing, the Elysian concept of their perfect existence is quickly compromised by both nature and the angry locals. To be honest, it's a pretty thin story at the best of times and it really does rely heavily on the pristine aesthetics to carry it for a great deal of it's almost two hour crawl time. Swinton is always a master at the slightly aloof, less is more, kind of characterisations and Leo himself has the camera enthralled. As as piece of storytelling, though, it's really nothing special beyond a wordy and ponderous exercise in sending a salutary message that the ever expansive march of tourism ought to learn to keep of the grass and leave nature in it's many different guises to live in peace.
2024-07-30

J

John Chard
Getting away from it all may not be perfection paradise after all? I first viewed this film upon its release and felt that the final third did the film down - and that the voice-over took away from the essence of the story, thus it's average. My subsequent viewings over the years would see me lament about an arcade game sequence and bemoaning that Robert Carlyle wasn't given a more extended role, yet it has become a film that sees me totally on board with director Danny Boyle's production and it's now that I think it puts the story together with poignant precision. Leonardo DiCaprio is Richard, a backpacker searching for a bit more in life, after a meeting with pot smoking loony Daffy (the wonderful Robert Carlyle), he learns of an island paradise that is everything he has yearned for in his life. Getting there will give him the adventure and danger he craves, because once there it apparently will be the thing of dreams, the perfect paradise cut off from civilisation... The film is very much split in two, the first half introduces us to Richard and the people he would convince to travel with him to this island paradise, we then follow their journey that is perfect in fleshing out the characters, they come up against obstacles and learn about each other on the way. The second half is well worth waiting for because it's here that the story kicks in to make the viewer think, it's idyllic, it's gorgeous, it's near perfect, but wherever there is a community, there will be personal hang ups, jealousies, power seekers and etc, in short, the surroundings may be perfect but the human condition is far from flawless. I love this film now, I love DiCaprio's performance, a cocky smart-arse thrill seeker about to get a wake up call is tailor made for him, and he delivers it with a skillful array of emotions. Director Danny Boyle does a great job of juggling the joys of paradise with the uneasy distortion of the various characters in the community, and the cinematography from Darius Khondji is truly beautiful (Thailand locales). The film suffers with the inevitable comparisons to Lord Of The Flies & Hearts Of Darkness, and yes these are fair comparisons, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it's a fine film for the modern generation in its own right, with the core point of the story relevant to all and sundry. Fans of the novel would prove to be very ambivalent towards this filmic adaptation, but in my book it gets better on repeat viewings. 8/10
2015-06-29

Recommendations

Světlo jeho očí
0

Světlo jeho očí

1936-03-06

Engineer Frank Nor loses his sight in an unfortunate accident. When his superficial fiancée Eliška l

The Jungle Book
3.4

The Jungle Book

2016-04-07

A man-cub named Mowgli fostered by wolves. After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli is force

Ziellos
3.5

Ziellos

2014-04-06

A 19-year-old drifter named Pascal, who has dropped out of his apprenticeship and drifts aimlessly,

History of Philosophy
3

History of Philosophy

1937-11-05

A student rebellion precedes revolutionary events in Prague.

Mississippi River Sharks
2.5

Mississippi River Sharks

2017-07-31

Sharks attack a fish rodeo on the Mississippi River, and it is up to a group of locals to stop them.

Silja – nuorena nukkunut
2.9

Silja – nuorena nukkunut

1956-04-26

In the 1910s, beautiful young Silja loses both parents and ends up working as a maid at wealthier fa

The Wednesday Woman
0

The Wednesday Woman

2000-05-24

Muriel Davidson, a successful mystery author in a vulnerable stage of her life, falls for a charisma

And the Sea Will Tell
3

And the Sea Will Tell

1991-02-24

A wealthy couple (James Brolin and Deidre Hall) are killed on their yacht off the coast of a seclude

The Soul Collector
3.6

The Soul Collector

1999-10-24

Zachariah, makes a few mistakes and it is decided that he is to live as a human being for thirty day

First in Line
3.6

First in Line

1944-02-23

A screen adaptation of the well-known novel by Roger Frison-Roche about the harsh lives of mountain

The Girl in the Fog
3.4

The Girl in the Fog

2017-10-26

A gripping and chilling thriller that brings us to a hazy mountain village where an enigmatic detect

Jenny: A Beach Movie
5

Jenny: A Beach Movie

2016-07-08

A young man takes his beautiful girlfriend to the beach. Chaos ensues.

Tam kde hnízdí čápi
1.5

Tam kde hnízdí čápi

1976-03-26

Despite the initial mistrust of others, former glass worker Štěoán Urban becomes the founder and fir

Devdas
0

Devdas

1935-03-30

Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. How

Kamthaan
4

Kamthaan

2024-02-02

A small-time thief makes the robbery of a lifetime when he accidentally breaks into the house of the

Milky Way
5

Milky Way

1959-01-01

Adapted from a Kerime Nadir novel. Main characters are two cousins. Nejat has no parents and cared b

Narcissus and Goldmund
3.1

Narcissus and Goldmund

2020-03-12

In the dark middle ages, young unruly Goldmund is sent to a monastery by his father to atone for the

Ben-Hur
2.9

Ben-Hur

2016-08-17

A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betray

A Whale for the Killing
3.5

A Whale for the Killing

1981-02-01

A conservationst, stranded with his family at a Newfoundland coastal resort, flies in the face of cu

An Eye for Beauty
1.7

An Eye for Beauty

2014-05-15

An architect and his wife see their relationship challenged.