The latest project by Hollywood pretty boy Leonardo DiCaprio is the Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") escapade, "The Beach." I poke fun at Leo's image, but he is not a bad actor. He was good in "Basketball Diaries" and he made out exactly as he should have in "Titanic." The problem with "The Beach" is not Leo, but it is the outlandish script he is given and the ridiculous situations into which he is thrust.
"The Beach" opens in sort of a "Fight Club" meets "Apocalypse Now" fashion where Richard (Leo) provides a narrative of his solo-vacation in Bangkok. He complains about the fast paced gotta-have-it consumerism of the world and desires a refuge where he can get away from it all. He is soon provided with such an opportunity when a deranged neighbor in his hotel, Daffy, commits suicide and leaves Richard with a map to a secret island paradise. In carpe-diem fashion, Richard enlists a young vacationing French couple and they set out to find paradise.
So far, you say, the film sounds rather interesting. Yes, so far, you are correct. At this point, we have been introduced to some very interesting characters, been given a strong narrative, and been provided with a fantasy like suggestion of a paradise to come. Nothing has gone wrong so far, and at this point while watching the film, I though I was going to be in for a treat. But I was wrong. Once the three young rebels make it to their supposed island of paradise, all hell breaks lose. Not to give away any plot details, but the film falls deeper and deeper into the implausible while expecting Leo's appeal to keeps us interested. Then about two thirds into the film, it begins going in a whole new direction, totally losing the viewer, and upon reflection, never really making any sense. A few powerful scenes are mixed in with too many extremely silly ones, such as where Richard becomes a player in a video game, to create any kind of flow or tension. What we are left with is a good book (from what I hear) gone bad on film due mostly to miss-direction.
Like "Fight Club," "The Beach" is full of ideas, some even pretending to be revolutionary. But while the entire length of "Fight Club" is thought-provoking and the script is nothing short of brilliant, "The Beach" begins its demise about twenty minutes in and continues downhill the rest of the way. None of its engaging concepts such is the possibility for a full escape from the modern consumer driven world ever follows through. Before any of these ideas really have a chance to build to anything, the film completely changes direction and focus.
Apart from a decent performance from Leo, the cast is another of the weaker points of the film. Virginie Ledoyan (Francoise) and Guillaume Canet (Etienne), the French couple, serve no purpose beyond that of a beautiful love interest for Leo's character.
I would not be telling the whole truth if I failed to mention one very positive aspect of the film. The locations, scenery, and cinematography are absolutely gorgeous. At first look, the beach truly is a perfect utopia. This one aspect of the film however, cannot make up for all of the film's shortcomings, so here's a big thumbs down from yours truly.
Rated R for language, violence, sexuality, and brief nudity
DVD Extras: If for some reason, you are a fan of this film, then definitely check out the DVD as it is full of supplemental material. Highlighting the bonuses are the nine deleted scenes, including an alternate beginning and ending. You can view these scenes with or without the director's commentary. Speaking of which, there is a full length director's commentary track to go along with the film, but none of the actors are present here. Also included are a storyboard gallery, a five minute featurette (which sadly plays out like a long trailer for the film), plenty of TV spots and trailers, and a music video by All Saints. The main disappointing aspect about the extras (besides the fact that the film's no good) is that across all the deleted scenes is written in large print, "These deleted scenes are property of FOX distribution," or something to that effect. This is a pitiful decision of FOX to detract from any enjoyment of these scenes by plastering this message all over them.
Leonardo DiCaprio is electrifying (David Sheehan,, CBS-TV) in this adrenaline-drenched, tantalizingly seductive thriller from the director of Trainspo...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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