Plot? Acting? Direction? Writing?

Rating: 2/10 (28 July 2000)

Plot? Acting? Direction? Writing? Who cares as long as sexy Leo is shirtless. That alone probably sold this movie. Sad, but true. The fact that Mathew Perry's younger better looking lost brother takes off his shirt is enough to get a studio to waste millions of dollars.
Yeah sure Leo can act. But not here. Here he is playing himself. A big dull jerk. He should stop partying and get back to sharpening those acting chops.
The movie: It blows. It starts out good. But lots of movies start out good. It's easy to start a movie in the right direction. But this one beaches itself early and sits there flopping like a dying fish for the rest of the movie.
Do we want to be Fight Club? Lord of the Flies? Apocolypse Now? Midnight Express? What do we want to be cause we sure aren't original. The premise is too old to be original so it would of been better to pick an angle and go all the way with it.
If you want to go do the paradise turns to hell thing then do it. Don't stop halfway and decide to throw in a whole bunch of other junk.
Danny Boyle is a good director, I like most all of his other stuff. I even like A Life Less Ordinary. Which leads me to believe most of it can be blamed on Leo. Once Leo is involved you got unneeded clout and pressure. Will it be something the 14 girls can watch? Will they like it? Will they see it over and over? Danny Boyle and Leo seem to be such and odd pair. Leo used to be Danny Boyle material until Titanic (What's Eating gilbert Grape, Basketball Diaries). Then he was big studio property. He's no longer edgy just cocky.
Anyways. I wonder if this would of been better with Ewan Macgregor in the lead. Probably since Ewan is infinitely more likeable. There were some parts I liked. Like him killing the shark. Only because I hate sharks and I would love to be able to kill one if I was attacked. The music is good. The scenery is good but not incredible enough to spawn that type of devotion the characters have towards it.
Major problem was nobody was likeable. Except the French Guy. The only one who was a decent human being. The rest were arrogant obnoxious selfish cruel hipsters hiding from their yuppy fates.
Yet another reminder we are all flawed and bad people.
My response to this annoying trend in films: I watch movies to escape. I don't need to be reminded that people suck. I know they suck. Show me idealized heroes. So me people with character, integrity. So me tragedies. But make the hero have at least one really good quality please. These qualities don't need to be limited to Disney oversimplified portrayals.
This is a terrible review. It's all over the place.

Kinda like the movie.
Skip this movie unless you're a 14 year old girl (who probabaly has already seen it) Rent Lord of the Flies instead. Either version; the old B+W is better though.