Surprisingly Good

Rating: Null/10 (15 February 2000)

I admit that as I was walking into the movie theater I was very hesitant about seeing a movie with Leo DiCaprio and even more hesitant about seeing a gory movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised with DiCaprio's performance and amazed by the way the director portrayed Richard's transformations and stages throughout the movie.
The gory part of it...yes it was bloody. I closed my eyes for all the close ups of blood, however I do admit that it was probably necessary for it to be there so that the right message could be conveyed.
What is the message? I asked myself over and over again as I walked out of the movie. Is it about how hard we try to be unique, but then end up being same as everyone else, or do our experiences still matter even if we do wind up being what we feared most. Richard can be paralleled to Tarzan at first glance, or he can be more accurately seen as Holden Caufield. The cocky attitude, the need to break free from the ties of society, all that is there. The island, the hidden world, perhaps is all Richard's imagination, and everything that happens to him there, is the sad realization of truth and reality.
Many themes and threads are drawn through this movie, much food for thought...or so it was for me.