The Beach
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Movie Reviews of The Beach
Movie Review: A Meal For the Mind: A Journey in Philosophical Thought
Summary: 5 Stars
If you know anything about philosophy, even the basics, you are probably familiar with Plato's allegory of the cave or the concept of "real" and "ideal" contrasts in everyday life. This book, made into a film, is an excellent example of the real and ideal contrasts. Ideal things are those that are divinely inspired: good, beauty and love. The real are things that are striving for ideals but are tainted by the human perception and emotions. These things are good, beauty and love mixed in with jealousy, hate, regret, envy, fear and control. Ideal or "platonic" love is much different that real love. In THE BEACH, Richard, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is striving for the ideal. His whole life is spent travelling and searching for something better. When he finds it in The Beach, a little piece of divinity, he knows immediately that humans can't possible experience something so perfect without tainting it. Strangely, what happens is that everything that he felt before, he feels with increasing intensity. He feels love, sex, violence, everything more strongly (and more acceptable), and uses drugs as an escape or to intensify his experience. But, and here's the warning to us all, everything blows up in his face, driving him to breakdown.
To me, this film is a warning of the dangers of striving for something that we can't understand nevertheless control. the "Ideal" is not something for humans to experience in a tainted environment. This film also causes us to question the nature of humans: Good, Evil or just Misunderstood?
So, if you have been looking for something a little creepy, a little extreme, a little emotional, a love story, a murderstory, a comedy, a tragedy, or just something that will be a feast for your philosophical mind, this is the film for you. Or, if you just want to see a cool movie, there's lots of drugs, lots of sex, lots of violence (fighting, guns and the like)... this is the movie for you too!
Movie Review: open your eyes
Summary: 5 Stars
The Beach, although cliche filled, is in my opinion a fantastic eye opener. After veiwing the film i could not help but watch it over and over for the next month. The sense of adventure captured in the film had my brain racing. A journey, a search for something new and different, somewhere that takes us away from the comforts and also annoyances/distractions of home. Something so many of us can relate to, the want to escape normal life by exploring our world. I did not see this film as just something to watch, yet found myself feeling the journey as though it were my own. The pristine beach takes you away to a whole new world, my own imagination running wild.
The charcters are well portrayed, and although some of Richards voice-overs are extremely cliche, most actually make you think and understand what is really going on. Not just voice-overs, yet an inner-monolouge helping us to feel the film as such, and not just veiw it.
Life for Richard,his two French friends and somewhat relations thanks to the Beach,and the rest of the 'villagers' seems to be getting better and better. Suddenly things take a down-hill turn when Richard bravely conquers a shark. From here on it feels like you are watching a crazy dream develop before your eyes. Death and insanity are what leads this plummeting life-stlye and it seems like everything will never be resovled.
The movie ends on a some what uplifting note yet makes you feel a surreal sense of loss. In a way you cannot really believe that this crazy adventure you have just viewed is simply a film and it really leaves you wanting more of its beauty and challenging adventure.
Movie Review: The Beach is a thing of beauty and an inspiration
Summary: 5 Stars
Although most tend to portray this movie as pretentious, going nowhere in particular, and basing it's merit on the visual stunningness (and it is stunning), the fact is that the movie touches upon our American psyche in several indellible (sic) ways. It shows how our obsession with normalcy and inability to change has stagnated our lives into one lous mess of sameness. The beach is a metaphor for an escape from a supposed reality of our civilization, to a surreal realm that appears more real than life itself. It's own definition of paradise as a feeling inside you where you are most happy in your life, rather than a place you can find holds dear to me and reminds me to stop and realize how much better my life is than it seems at times. The music is perfectly tuned to the picture, with thumping rave beats to mellow piano interludes, timed with the emotion perfectly. Leonardo DiCaprio proves what I've been saying ever since I saw Romeo & Juliet: he actually does have talant outside of his bland Titanic character. The supporting characters, such as Sals and Etienne, could have been fleshed out a bit more, although this does not degrade their emotional impact on the film or the viewer's opinions of realistic characters. One of the best films I've seen this sadly dissapointing year, movie-wise. And to the (obviously) overly self conscious and sensitive parent who wrote about the "graphic sex scene" - it was behind a curtain and lasted not more than 30 seconds! And about the pot smoking - who cares? It happens in real life, so deal with it!Movie Review: What's wrong with the film? It's simply great.
Summary: 5 Stars
Having travelled over 15 countries in my last 4 years, I find this film very well made. I doubt people who don't travel as backpackers will have much positive feeling towards this film. Really, a paradise can exist. If you ask me is there a paradise in Malawi, I will tell you yes and I can show you how to get there. And such paradise isn't necessary the most popular tourism location - it doesn't mean it's not a paradise. Often, paradise really gets over developed, over populated or poluted, when it becomes widely known. And it'll finally become not a paradise.And if you know Thailand and any other South East Asian countries well, you'll know that, indeed, where the selected group grows "Mad Weeds" can really be secretive and paradise-like.
I think everyone in the film has performed so well. I could see a list of very unique and true to life travellers' characters well represented in the film. As well, there is a good mixture of people from different countries. It is very interesting when I learned that one of the founders of the paradise community killed himself because he did not like the paradise for some reason. Is it possible? Yes. How would someone deal with it? I don't know. I am not sure if there is anywhere else you'd rather go if you don't even like paradise.
I really think it's a movie well made.
From a beach lover and frequent traveller.
Movie Review: A film advanced the future
Summary: 5 Stars
While there are so many films repeat the old topic again and again, I am so eager to see a film that brings new ideas. The Beach is one of those. Richard is icon of many new generation. Those who grew up on the arrangement of their parents and effected by media such as video games, war movies. They are not independent and never experienced anything on their own. They are tired of the superficial world and want to experience something new. But how, they have no idea. So they can just follows the trek of many other teenager.
Of course, just follow other people cannot satisfy them. They desire for more, like Richard. However, when there is a chance for them to explore, they do not know how to handle and are afraid of the uncertainty. So, they need companion and they have to inform someone else in case of any dangerous which might be encountered. And because of their lack of experience, they always make mistakes. Each time when they know they have made mistake, they tell lies to cover up instead of admit their fault. When they faced any difficulty which have to solve on their own, they have no experiences to draw from but depending on what they grow up with, lik the video games, TV program. If they cannot solve the problems, they will lose their sanity.
This movie is a mirror of many new generation. They should watch this movie.