The Beach
The beach was a film that seemed appealing upon seeing the trailers, with beautiful shots of Thailand and tranquil island life, or so I thought. When I eventually got round to watching the film I was in for a surprise as it wasn't the laid back perfect island life kind of film I expected, it was gritty with some shocks and twists and turns along the way. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.
The film is based on a book by Alex Garland and was directed by the great British film director Danny Boyle. We follow a young American named Richard who one day decides to go travelling in Thailand and hopes to live his travelling experience to the full. It was interesting to see Leonardo de Caprio in a role that wasn't so hyped up or your typical leading man type, his character is deeply flawed with drug taking, womanising and a tendency to lie to his name. Richard along with a French couple start the search for a secluded island brought to their attention from a map, with the belief that they will find paradise once they reach the island. When they arrive they discover a commune, but is all as it seems, have they really found paradise? I like my extras on my DVD especially if they include cut material as I enjoy seeing how things could have been and how different scenes either edited or kept would have played out in the film and with this DVD you get the darker alternative ending along with some deleted scenes.
The script is exciting to watch, helped by the acting skills of de Caprio, Tilda Swinton and Robert Carlyle, the back drop is also beautiful with stunning scenes of tropical islands, the soundtrack works well and the plot is full of shocking thrill and spills, an interesting DVD to own.
