Unique, flawed but fantastic.

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2009)

Danny Boyle has flown from B list director to household name in recent months after the runaway success of his latest movie, Slumdog Millionaire, but a lot of his earlier work received little or no recognition. The Beach is a perfect example of this, but it is interesting to see the development of his directorial skills. The seeds were obviously sown long before they flourished to Oscar winning standards, and the cinematography is glorious.
It is easy to see why IMDb has a low average rating for this movie. It is a little scatterbrain and certain plot points are left unexplained, leaving it feeling a little incoherent. Also, there is one particular sequence to do with the main character Richard, superbly portrayed by a comfortable DiCaprio, is isolated and begins to lose his marbles. This is very odd few minutes, baring very little relevance to the overall plot and it somewhat breaks flow.
These gripes aside, the movie is an extremely interesting watch, for several reasons. Despite having all the hallmarks of a Boyle film, the cinematography is unique. It bares a similarity to Trainspotting, in that the main character is our narrator, but the strange mixture of intrigue, romance and adventure is certainly refreshing. Where the movie really excels however is its exploration of some little explored concepts.
The idea of isolation in paradise, and the selfishness of human kind is explored in detail, with the private colony's leader, Sal (Tilda Swinton) being the personification of this concept. Robert Carlyle makes fleeting appearances as Daffy, a crazed former resident, disgusted by the "cancerous" human race. Are there elements of environmentalism in to be picked up on? Overall i thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The roots of Boyle's recent genius show sparks of the brilliance to come and the sheer uniqueness on show will be endearing to any regular film watcher. Sure it has its problems but what films don't? With a little patience and trust in the director you may just find yourself enthralled.