The Beach

Richard Hernandez13 said:By the way, the book explores that thin line between utopia and dystopia—the movie? It’s just a cheap postcard. A total failure of an adaptation.

👍
Exactly.
The book was great.
I sat through about 25 minutes of the movie before giving up... absolute garbage.

Richard Hernandez13 said:What element are we even talking about here—three oiled-up Swedishwomen? 😉

You’re probably referring to Richard's lack of physical intimacy with that Frenchwoman. If that's the case, let me be clear: Richard is absolutely craving her, but he's holding back. He doesn't want to blow up his friendship with Etienne (her boyfriend). That tension is exactly how Garland builds this sense of isolation. Even though the protagonist is basically living in some sort of utopia, cut off from society by choice, he still feels completely alone.

Yeah,
that's exactly what I meant regarding him not acting on it...

Well, at least the question was worth asking.
Hmm, haha, maybe he was thinking about Etienne just a little too much himself... hehe
😉

Hannah Price3 said:Joe Biden, I can't even remember what the different endings were back then; it was ages ago. 😉

In the movie, Richard goes shopping with Sal and just can't help himself from hitting on her. That’s the part they left out of the book, and honestly, it's one of those stupid movie tropes. The whole plot relies on this vibe that they messed things up for Sal—and by extension, the whole community—through sex, which felt completely unnecessary given everything else happening. This is exactly why I say Hollywood is shallow; they seemingly can't write a single plotline without relying on sex. Maybe they think the audience won't feel any tension unless there's some threat of an angry, cheated husband involved.

Richard Hernandez13, so there's no sex with the Frenchwoman in the book either?

I felt the exact same way you did for the first fifteen minutes...

I was thinking... oh god, here we go, another Hollywood cliché.
Between the boring monologue with Leom-kad at the start... and that lovesick couple at the beginning, I really thought I was in for some tedious, hundredth-time-told story about a love triangle... and then that twitchy maniac in the hotel...

...but as the film progressed... I changed my mind.
I started realizing there was actually something to this movie...
Especially once I realized he was stuck in the exact situation I dream about... just grabbing my stuff and getting the hell away.
And that island community... it reminded me of that article in the New York Times from last summer... about that group of kids living in a hippie commune, totally off the grid in rural Montana..
And then, when they started speaking a language I actually understand... I saw it as a sign.

It’s more than just a song
it’s the whole music video All Saints did for that movie too...
"Pure shores" is absolute perfection...
(caught it on satellite yesterday and this thread popped right back into my head)

.................................................. ....The place where I wanna be Is the place I can call mina ( I'm Coming>

I’m not particularly fond of Leonard, yet I found myself completely captivated by the film; isn't it strange how that happens? The plot, the setting on The Beach 😁, the overall atmosphere 😁, and even the music...

Richard Hernandez13 said:SPOILER ALERT for anyone who hasn't read the book yet—SPOILER

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Let me just quote the opening lines of the book for you, buddy 😉 😁 so we don't end up ruining the movies for everyone else 👍

restlessowl52 said:Start with the opening lines of the book 😉 😁 so we don't end up spoiling any movies for everyone else. 👍

Ehem... I'm not entirely sure I follow what you mean there. 😕

I actually read the book.

The Beach was easily the most underwhelming thing I've ever sat through...
If it weren't for the scenery, it would have been an absolute waste of my time.

DUNADAN said:The Beach was honestly the worst piece of trash I’ve ever sat through.
If it weren't for the scenery, it would've been a complete waste of my life.

Why though? 😢
I actually thought the movie was alright...
What specifically sucked for you?
Was it the plot? Leo? The ending?

And do you even like this kind of stuff? Maybe that's why you hated it.

DUNADAN said:The Beach was hands down the worst thing I've ever watched.
If it wasn't for the scenery, it would've been a complete waste of time.

Cro Fag said:Why? 😢
I actually thought the movie was alright...
What didn't you like about it?
...

Are you kidding me? You don't just engage with provocations like that. If you feel like it, just roll your eyes and move on. That's it.

Just for the sake of the stats: I liked the movie fine, though reading the book probably would've annoyed me too.

mirrorball said:...this movie is just straight-up garbage, there's no other way to put it...🤮
...though I will admit, the soundtrack is actually decent.🙏 🙏

Give it a rest; you shouldn't trash the film until you've actually sat through it a few more times...
There is a bit more depth here than meets the eye... and as for Orbital... what can I say? Absolutely phenomenal.😲 😲 😲

DUNADAN kaže:
The Beach was easily the most underwhelming garbage I’ve ever sat through.
If there wasn't some scenery involved, it would have been an absolute waste of my time.

And I still don't quite get it...
It seems you just don't grasp him at all...
But fine, I won't hold it against you...
Some days are just like that...🙂 🙂

Honestly, I thought that movie was actually great.

It’s not really a "movie" in the traditional sense, you know? It doesn't rely on some grand plot or deep character arcs... if I had to describe it, I'd say it's more of an experience. To me, it perfectly captures that specific headspace of someone just totally burnt out by their own mundane daily grind—that desperate, restless craving for actual action, for some kind of thrill or adventure...
And I think the film nails that perfectly. That’s really the whole point—it’s all about the feeling.

Watching The Beach was such a trip, especially with that soundtrack...🙏

Rebecca Bennett79 said:I actually thought that movie was quite good.

It isn't really a traditional film in the classic sense—it lacks a structured plot or deep character arcs. I’d argue it’s more of an experience; for me, it perfectly captures the headspace of someone feeling completely stifled by a mundane existence, desperate for some semblance of action, excitement, or adventure...
In my opinion, the film succeeds brilliantly at that—conveying a raw feeling rather than a story.

Watching The Beach was a genuine pleasure, especially with that soundtrack. 🙏

👍

Rebecca Bennett79 said:I actually thought the movie was great.

It’s not really a "movie" in the traditional sense—there isn't much of a plot or deep characters. I’d call it an experience. For me, it perfectly captures that headspace of someone totally bored with their mundane life, just desperate for some action, excitement, or a real adventure...
In my view, the film nails that feeling. That’s what it delivers—an atmosphere.

Watching The Beach was a trip, especially that soundtrack. 🙏

Agreed... though the book was way better. It captures the mental state more accurately. The book digs deeper into Duffy and the general decay of paradise... plus that whole video game sequence from the movie wasn't really there in the book.👎

Honestly, this movie is a total blast.

absolutely 👍

the acting was just straight-up terrible—it completely trashed such a killer book, everything felt so shallow, and the plot? zero logic, honestly...

if only we actually got more movies like this...

..Rachel Brooks63, come on now... what about Guillaume Canet? 😍 And Underworld + Leftfield doing a soundtrack together? Plus, The Beach is gorgeous, tilda is adorable, and everyone in America is talking about it... plus... 🙂
(...and personally, I think the book was way better (that heartbreaking story about the red bicycle 😍), but compared to the other collaboration from the dynamic duo Garland-Boyle, "28 Days Later," The Beach is 👍... or at least it's not a totally terrible movie...)

I haven't seen the movie and I'm not planning to, but this whole thing makes me want to skip the book too 😍 😍

Jason Chavez32 said:terrible acting, a total disaster of a literary adaptation, shallow characters, and a plot that makes absolutely zero sense, uh...
if only there were more movies like this...

I mean, hasn't Peter Jackson filmed three movies just like this back-to-back? 🙄