The Beach (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
When Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) travelled to Thailand for a back-packin' vacation, he never expected it would lead him on such a dangerous journey in 'The Beach', directed by Danny Boyle. After meeting a suicidal man named Daffy (Robert Carlyle), he receives a map showing him the exact location of a mysterious, fabled island. Richard shares this map with a French couple that he meets on his vacation ... and so starts their wonderful, crazy, intoxicating, yet deathly adventure. On this secret island lives a small community of dwellers & a group of marijuana farmers. Full of action, drama, seduction & existential themes ... 'The Beach' aims to entertain us from several angles. The cinematography & music is great. But the acting is uneven. And the plot really goes haywire, at parts.
Currently in his early 20's, Richard is searching for meaning in his young life. Restless, witty, nicotine-addicted, & with a love of video games, he sets off from his Bangkok hotel with this map - a map that will lead him to tropical bliss; a place where the water is see-through, the beach has white sand, & its inhabitants are perpetually happy. They are a secret community who live in harmony with each other & nature -- weird, but acceptable. After sharing this map with a French couple, Francoise & Etienne (the beautiful Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet), the 3 set-out to find the island together. They find it, but entrance isn't easy; as it is guarded by gun-wielding natives. Once ashore, they enjoy the company of the enlightened people they meet. Living in trees, spearing fish for meals ... it all sounds great, at first. But danger lurks (not only in the water ... shark attacks galore) deep in the tormented hearts of these supposedly transcendental people.
This is a weird film to critique. It has a way of hypnotizing, even scaring you (shark attacks galore). Angelo Badalamenti's musical score is memorable. The cinematography is stellar. i.e., there is a nighttime swimming session btwn. 2 characters that is lit underwater by some luminescent plankton. It's simply gorgeous. The best thing the film has going for it is that it's extremely watchable (good looking actors/actresses/locales, etc.). And the always intriguing themes of existentialism & loneliness are apparent throughout the film. That said, 'The Beach' never really lives up to its lofty ambitions.
The plot is only intermittently involving (due to some out-of-left-field contrivances). Character motivations sway all over the place. Danny Boyle hints at making something both beautiful AND philosophically profound, but he misses the mark. It wants to say something concerning the cruelties of the world and how you can't escape them ... but it fails. Acting-wise, DiCaprio is pretty good. You believe him as a young, charismatic, cunning, naive, but smartass kid; making horrible errors and trying to find his way in the world. We can identify with him, and yet, he gets a lot of what he deserves. Tilda Swinton is suitably creepy in her mercurial sort of way as the leader of this Isle of ungovernable souls. When she finds out that mainlanders might know of 'her' island, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. This film lacks cohesion and isn’t that great, but it is not without its small, bizarre pleasures.
Currently in his early 20's, Richard is searching for meaning in his young life. Restless, witty, nicotine-addicted, & with a love of video games, he sets off from his Bangkok hotel with this map - a map that will lead him to tropical bliss; a place where the water is see-through, the beach has white sand, & its inhabitants are perpetually happy. They are a secret community who live in harmony with each other & nature -- weird, but acceptable. After sharing this map with a French couple, Francoise & Etienne (the beautiful Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet), the 3 set-out to find the island together. They find it, but entrance isn't easy; as it is guarded by gun-wielding natives. Once ashore, they enjoy the company of the enlightened people they meet. Living in trees, spearing fish for meals ... it all sounds great, at first. But danger lurks (not only in the water ... shark attacks galore) deep in the tormented hearts of these supposedly transcendental people.
This is a weird film to critique. It has a way of hypnotizing, even scaring you (shark attacks galore). Angelo Badalamenti's musical score is memorable. The cinematography is stellar. i.e., there is a nighttime swimming session btwn. 2 characters that is lit underwater by some luminescent plankton. It's simply gorgeous. The best thing the film has going for it is that it's extremely watchable (good looking actors/actresses/locales, etc.). And the always intriguing themes of existentialism & loneliness are apparent throughout the film. That said, 'The Beach' never really lives up to its lofty ambitions.
The plot is only intermittently involving (due to some out-of-left-field contrivances). Character motivations sway all over the place. Danny Boyle hints at making something both beautiful AND philosophically profound, but he misses the mark. It wants to say something concerning the cruelties of the world and how you can't escape them ... but it fails. Acting-wise, DiCaprio is pretty good. You believe him as a young, charismatic, cunning, naive, but smartass kid; making horrible errors and trying to find his way in the world. We can identify with him, and yet, he gets a lot of what he deserves. Tilda Swinton is suitably creepy in her mercurial sort of way as the leader of this Isle of ungovernable souls. When she finds out that mainlanders might know of 'her' island, you wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. This film lacks cohesion and isn’t that great, but it is not without its small, bizarre pleasures.