The problem? Underlying material weak.

Rating: 2/10 (15 February 2000)

Everyone involved in this film clearly tried hard to make a filmable story from this novel. In so doing they changed a great deal, as indeed they had to. But I don't think their efforts were rewarded, mainly because the book wasn't that good to start with. Certainly it didn't 'cry out' to be a movie, the way some novels do. So what we end up with is a forced, rather inconvincing - if well shot - cross between 'Hideous Kinky' and 'Lord of the Flies'. Stronger, clearer material would have served these film-makers better.