Could have been so much better!

Rating: 5/10 (3 March 2000)

With talented Director Danny Boyle calling the shots, with a best selling novel as material, and with arguably Hollywood's biggest star Leonardo Di Caprio as the lead, you'd be forgiven for expecting The Beach to be something a bit special.
I expected one of the films of the year. I left disappointed.
I should point out right away that I did read Garland's novel months earlier, and being a huge fan, it's quite hard to judge Boyle's film merely as a film. Making comparisons between film and book was almost impossible, so if faced with the choice between the two, I would recommend watching the film first.
To be fair, those experiencing the story for the first time through Boyle's film will probably find it quite entertaining. Certainly no classic, but watchable nonetheless, with some decent performances headed by Di Caprio, and some beautiful filming.
Fans of the novel though should prepare to be disappointed. The story is no where near as intriguing, several good supporting characters are left to just fade into the tropical background, and the actions of those who do hog all the camera time aren't true to Garland's excellent novel.
The most annoying example of this is Richard's eventual madness. While the novel has Richard's fears and suspicions of his apparent paradise developed gradually, Boyle has Richard seemingly fine and content one minute, and raving mad the next.
In addition, Richard's unrequited love for Francoise, the cause of some interesting, silent, sexual tension in the novel, is replaced by a passionate love triangle. Not content, with just this, Boyle decides to completely change Garland's story by adding a slight change to the ending.
As I said earlier, those unfamiliar with the story will probably enjoy the Beach, with it offering some simple, escapist entertainment with some sex appeal.
Garland fans won't be able to help feeling a little disappointed. This is a lazily constructed, loosely based adaptation, saved only by some half decent performances, some wonderful cinematography, and the obvious appeal of a bikini clad Virginie Ledoyen.
Not terrible, but a sad case of wasted potential.