Hollywood should pay closer attention to their source material.

Rating: Null/10 (13 December 2002)

The Beach. What can one say.
I saw the movie before I read the book. Oftentimes, this can lead to trouble. However, this time, it wasn't. I was intrigued by the plot of the movie and bought the book when I saw it at Powell's. Now, even though I saw the movie first, I'm going to talk about the book now.
The book is one of about three things that I can honestly changed my life. It is a wonderful masterpiece that speaks to the true heart and soul. It has sustained me while travelling on more than one occasion; I am so familiar with it that I can pick it up, open it to any random page, start reading, and enjoy myself. The book is.. simply incredible. I cannot emphasize how much I love the book (by Alex Garland).

Now, the movie.
I saw the movie again after reading the book. It is entirely and completely different.
Now, the movie has some fairly nice cinematic sequences. It's filmed beautifully and the scenery is top-notch. Leo does a fairly horrid job portraying Richard; Ewan McGregor, the original choice, would have been much better, in my opinion. The movie also took out several EXTREMELY vital parts in the book- they deflated the story, warped it, twisted it and turned it into utter garbage.
Still... the narration is a nice touch and it's filmed very nicely. So. If you can ignore the tepid acting and the weak, sickly-sweet plot (it's so gooey in comparison with the book!) it's a good movie to play in the background while you, say, vacuum carpet. As to any merit? The movie has very, very little. Perhaps its only merit is that it provided a hook large enough for me to grab the book. Trust me. Read the book. It'll change your life.