Review of The Beach (2000) by Nathan M — 14 Aug 2010
Cool cinematography, directorial flair, and a mostly decent turn by "young" DiCaprio can't save The Beach from being bulldozed by an insufficient script (or possibly source material) and a dumb-derivative third act that derails what had been a decent little adventure.
Darius Khondji definitely delivers some exquisite depictions of paradise, as well as the glossy grit he showed in the other film he shot, Se7en. But once again, the third act shamelessly blends deranged nonsense with a moody greatest hits of Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness.
From the wretched video game sequence and the caterpillar consumption it all goes sloppily downhill. The only good to come from this film's success is that it probably helped 28 Days Later, Boyle's next film get greenlit.
This review of The Beach (2000) was written by Nathan M on 14 Aug 2010.
The Beach has generally received positive reviews.
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