What he wanted was paradise. What he got was hell.

Rating: Null/10 (26 March 2000)

What initially grabbed me about this film was its message. It spoke to and for a generation that is so desensitized from anything visceral and real in this digitally enhanced world that it doesn't really have anywhere to turn but to adventure. If they weren't going to find paradise within themselves, they would go and find it in material form.
Leonardo DiCaprio heads a mostly international cast in this wild adaptation of Alex Garland's critically acclaimed and, in my opinion, just plain brilliant novel of the same title. For the script given, the actors do a tremendous job and the cinematography is simply breathtaking. It could have been a silent film and the photography of Thailand's pristine Maya Bay would have been enough to hold most viewers' attention.
Some of the most enjoyable moments are made possible by characters who although do not have many lines, make a lasting impression on the audience and prove catalysts that set in motion the rest of the film. Most notable are Daffy (Robert Carlyle), Sammy (Jerry Swindall), and Zeph (Peter Youngblood-Hills).
If you have read Alex Garland's book, you may be a bit disappointed in this film as I was upon first glance. It is alarming that the film leaves out one of the books most influential and mysteriously engaging characters, Jed. Also, the insertion of romantic interludes between Richard and a few of the women on the island may throw the novel's fans for a loop. And of course, the ending -- toned down beyond recognition.
However, if you can get past these changes in the adaptation, and can see the underlying message that remains as true as it did in Garland's novel, you will enjoy the Beach thoroughly. My advice is to view it with an open mind and take in the beauty of it. It could have been improved in many ways, but it is still a gorgeous film with wonderful talent from not only the leads but also from the supporting actors, actresses and Beach Community Members without whom there would be no film.