OMENS: The Beach

The Beach

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen, Tilda Swinton, Guillaume Canet, Robert Carlyle. Written by John Hodge. Based on the novel "The Beach" by Alex Garland. Directed by Danny Boyle. Release: 2 February 2000. 20th Century Fox, 119 mins., Rated R

Plot: Michael seeks some excitement by going to a undisclosed island with two mates he just met cos he fancies the chick.

That was nothing like what I was expecting. See, a long time ago I saw the poster for THE BEACH, and it looked cool, really peaked my interest. And for eons and a half I never saw the flick, and then thanks to the graces of Instant Streaming I had my chance. I was expecting a supernatural thriller, based on the comments I (thought) I read/heard back in the day. Instead, we have a flick that doesn't really go anywhere, becomes absolutely nutters a bit over a hour in, and ends rather abruptly with no finality, no sense that the overall experience was, in a way, worth it.

The one thing BEACH has going for it is the phenomenal, breathtaking cinematography as directed by Danny Boyle. Visually, this movie is stunning. I guess I shouldn't have expected any less coming from Doyle, but it's a welcome change from the visually flat films I've been watching lately. The beach, the sun, the grass, the trees, the water - they probably have never looked more majestic on film.

Everything else though, not a huge fan. Sure, the girl Leonardo DiCaprio sets his eyes on is hot, indeed. No denying that. But the contents on the movie? Meh. Robert Carlyle (STARGATE: UNIVERSE) shows up as crazy man Daffy for the beginning and a few quick shots here and there, ultimately serving nothing more as a plot device to get Michael (Leo) and his two peeps to the island. When they get to the island, there is literally no plot. It's the three of them just forgetting about their worries and having fun. I guess that makes sense because the whole thing with the film is 'Freedom, man!' There is a bit of rivalry going on with Michael and Étienne over the affection of Françoise (Ledoyen), but that concludes rather quickly. And then an hour and a half in, Michael begins losing his mind, basically. And then there's conflict with the natives. It's resolved. The End.

Um. A two hour movie for all that? Perhaps it was simply my expectation that a movie directed by Danny Boyle, starring the usually awesome Leonardo, and boasts a pretty snazzy poster would be good. It didn't have to be the supernatural thriller I was hoping it would, it just needed to be...y'know, good. In the end, THE BEACH gets two stars for two reasons: hot girl and gorgeous cinematography. Ah, and I shan't forget it has a pretty rad soundtrack.

Netflix Rating: Didn't Like It