The Beach [2000] [DVD]

I really do like this film and i don't think it got the acknowledgement it deserved.The acting is great
and the scenery is both spectacular and beautiful.I put myself into the position of Richard when i watch this,thinking you
know if i went travelling and went to the places he does and the situations he gets himself into what would i do.

The story is of an American traveller,Richard (Di Caprio) and his chance meeting with Daffy (a cameo by Robert Carlyle)
in a hotel.Daffy gives him a map of a secret island where paradise can be found and Richard soon tells the story to two
French travellers and they all head of in search of the island,but when they get there the paradise soon turns into a
nightmare and for Richard his mind starts to lose control.

As i said this to me is a more than a cult classic where only a few people loved it.It should be liked by more and for some
reason people don't seem to like to say that they liked this film and they look at you as if you are sad for liking it yourself.
As i said try it for yourself and see.

But in exchange for these unavoidable losses you also get a lot more than on paper - the striking visuals which pay a more than fair tribute to the writer's wonderful skill with descriptions (director of photography Darius Kondji is a master of his art), the great casting and acting, a cool soundtrack, and more catchy twists in the plot. True, some of the variations from the book are clearly imposed by Hollywood standards - the extra sex and love interest, mostly, and the simplified ending. But they do work somehow here.

The extra features allow you to view the alternate ending as well as lots of scenes that were cut out for practical reasons. If they had been included, it would have been a three-hour long movie (and the Apocalypse Now connection would have been too much!) and most of all, a lot sadder and more subtly disturbing. It wouldn't have worked that well for the box office, and that's not a denigratory comment. After all, in a movie you want to be left with some hope, as the director says in the commentary. So I'm not sure I would have preferred the alternate ending, as it would have looked too grim on the big screen - though it's more truthful to the book and does end with exactly the same words, driving the whole point of the story home a lot harder, and punching you in the stomach, perhaps a bit too much (the violent touch in the alternate ending is not in the book anyway). But all in all, I do like the ending they chose for the screen version too.

One definite plus of this screen adaptation is Di Caprio's performance: forget all teen girls' hysterics and press gossip about him, he's a class actor, up there with the best, though he's got to be careful not to overdo it and become an over-the-top De Niro at such a young age and stage of his career.

Definitely recommended, in DVD the scenes are just amazing. I'm pretty sure Alex Garland must have liked it too - the presence of British film-makers and great actors such as Robert Carlyle and Tilda Swindon is also a way of staying true to the story, and the fact that Richard's character being played by Di Caprio obviously becomes American in the movie doesn't really affect the story. As I said, I rented it, but it would be cool to have your own copy as the thrill of the gripping script doesn't fade out after a second viewing, and the acting, extra DVD bits and views of beautiful islands in Thailand are certainly worth the money.