Review of The Beach (2000) by Dawdlingpoet — 22 Nov 2021

This is a movie that would, I imagine, have been well worth seeing on the big screen and if you have a larger size TV screen then this should make a difference in terms of the atmosphere of the movie, its pretty engrossing and there are a few large scale landscape shots which would have a bigger impact the larger the screen you view it on.

The story isn't really all that original but it still seemed a decent enough movie and the fact that the characters were quite intriguing and had their own stories and different personalities definitely helped make it more memorable. The soundtrack is also quite memorable, most of the tracks are dance or trance oriented, with a paradise type feel to it I suppose (their summer-y type tracks that you would perhaps hear at clubs abroad during the summer, or would have when it came out).

DiCaprio gives quite a good performance as a typically smug American tourist who is of course naive but yet full of belief about tracking down and becoming a part of this hidden community. His character showcases a variety of different emotions and moods which are quite convincing.

Tilda Swintons character, Sal, is one of note, being the head of this apparent beach paradise community, she makes it her sole aim to keep the community secret and thriving, being so seriously about it that it could be seen as a little over the top perhaps. She's quite a headstrong character, someone who isn't afraid to take charge and make tough decisions.

Robert Carlyle also plays a character of particular importance as far as the story goes, although we never learn what his true identity was but his passport names him as Daffy Duck, so he's referred to as Daffy. The scenes with him in the hotel at the start of the movie are quite dark and disturbing and yes this movie is definitely not for the younger generation, having a 15 rating which is more than fair in my opinion, given the pretty strong language used as well as drug references (including scenes of people smoking weed) and some violence/bloody scenes.

In some parts of the movie, its narrated by DiCaprio who appears to be reflecting back on what happened at the time your watching, as if the movie is his autobiography and he's reading it back to you and then the narration fades shortly after it starts. I guess it is quite a reflective movie, with him warning about the reality of such a concept as paradise and so on, so there is perhaps a more serious side to it than just a few tourists stumbling on some great place and making the most of it.

One other quick mention - a slight criticism is the romantic element of the movie, with DiCaprios character Richard being attracted to Francoise, which was just so cheesy, I wasn't too keen on that, it seemed like they had to fit that in because no such movie with such a main actor would be complete unless there was a love interest angle on it and her character wasn't really developed enough, I didn't feel it quite worked somehow.

I think this is a movie thats worth watching, if you like the sound of it and know what kind of movie it is and your ok with that then check it out. It won't suit everyone of course (few movies do, I suppose) but its quite enthralling with some interesting characters, good cinematography and decent performances and it may have a moral or two in there that may make you think, although it isn't a movie that you particularly need to have your thinking cap on for as such. Its a pretty good movie but at the same time I wouldn't say that its entirely original and some people, if your picky, may be turned off by one or two potential stereotypes but otherwise its a good movie thats worth a watch.