Very Disappointing

Rating: Null/10 (24 August 2000)

Having read the amazing book by Alex Garland I was really looking forward to seeing the movie version, however I was left completely disappointed.
The film was completely glamorised. The characters in the story were what made the book so enjoyable but they were portrayed so differently in the film. In the film Richard was just plain nasty and when he begun to loose it, he lost it big time. However in the book he was just an ordinary bloke who gradually goes insane due to the mad situation he is presented with. I can understand why in the film Richard s***s Francoise, which did not happen in the book, because there is a lot of sexual tension between them; but there is no way Richard would have had sex with Sal. There are so many faults with the script and direction that left me so unsatisfied. Whilst I can understand some of the difficulties the director, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) was faced with, for example the scripting of the character, Bugs who haunts Richard throughout the film as a ghostly figure, I believe the film lacked the depth and intrigue which made the book so addictive.
The only good thing about this film was the cinematography. The locations were beautifully shot and the wonderfully exotic images I construed whilst reading the book were brought to life on film.
Don't be put off by this film just READ THE BOOK!