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Adventure Drama Sometimes paradise is not what it seems.

Lots of beautiful scenry and plenty of perfect bodies and more beautiful scenry. Now if only there was a great story. THE BEACH just seems to be an excuse to show that he has a great young body. His acting is just so-so in this one. THE BEACH is THE LORD OF THE FLIES meets APOCALYPSE NOW with beautiful bodies.

Many young people today are trying to get away from all the technology that surrounds them. This film caters to that group of young people. Many have heard of the mythical beach that exists on an island hidden from view. Only a few have actually been there. Leonardo Di Caprio (Richard) is going to be one with a young French couple played by Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet. While vactioning in Bangkok Richard has an encounter with the wacky Daffy played by Robert Carlyle. This rambling, paranoid man is obvious spent many years in the sun and many years on drugs. Daffy tells Richard about this secret island where there are no tourists and a perfect beach...it's a paradise on Earth. Daffy leaves him a map and takes his own life. Richard, Etienne and the beautiful Francoise head off on their journey. Once they arrive after an arrdous journey they discover the beach but they also discover drug farmers with big guns and a nasty attitude. They also find a colony on the beach who have lived there for years after striking up a deal with the drug dealers. They live there but they could not tell anyone else about the island. Here they live happily for sometime enjoying the weather and the beach. Yet beneath all this is a story that is actual a microcosm of real society. Not everything is perfect. We will see personal conflicts, betrayls, death, shark attacks and even petty jealousies. This perfect world is not so perfect after all and we get to see ourselves, our real world behaviours and attitudes seep into paradise. Paradise Lost, hey I had to sneak that in somewhere okay. Anyway paradise becomes a nightmare. A real silly sight is watching Di Caprio at one point doing the Martin Sheen part from APOCALYPSE NOW. He looks silly to us older folks but the young girls should get a kick out of it. The writter and director are really trying to say something about society here but somewhere he got lost in his own message when he lets the story wander away with itself. It is obvious that by the end both writer and director have decided that a perfect society can not exist on this world, anyway. The ending is a striking scene but it still lacked punch even though it was good. This is not a bad movie but it really isn't a good movie either. It is just an okay movie. The potiential is there but it just does not come out the right way. My recommendation when it comes to this movie??? Let's see...you like Di Caprio...go see it...you like beautiful beaches...go see it... you like beautiful people with empty heads...go see it...if you want to see a fairly mindless movie trying to be relevant...go see it. I hope you enjoy it. After all only you are the critic that you should listen to.

Cast and Credits:

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet and Joseph Paterson

Directed by Danny Boyle

Written by John Hodge

Produced by John Hodge

Distributed by Fox Searchlight

Rating USA... PG-13 Rating Canada... AA for language, violence and drugs

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