Review of Beach, The

Introduction

Anybody who walks into their local DVD retailer and is pestered to by "The Beach" by their wife/girlfriend on the basis that Leonardo DiCaprio is the star may be surprised by what they get...

I didn`t know much about The Beach before it arrived through my letterbox to review. I`d seen the trailer and heard plenty of negative comments, but wanted to see for myself.

The story follows Richard (DiCaprio) who plays an American backpacker on holiday in Thailand. When Richard takes a hotel room little does he know that the people in the rooms on each side of him with have a major bearing on his immediate future. On being given the map to a secret beach - a so-called paradise - he decides to make the journey. What follows is a tale of adventure, paradise, despair, survival, romance and deceit - all rolled into one film.

Video

The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and is of a very high standard throughout the film. There is no evidence of grain, noise or dirt on the print which is colourful, stable and has plenty of contrast.

Visually, this film is stunning. From the streets of Bangkok to the absolutely georgeous island paradise the photography is stylish and really adds to the film. Plenty of aerial photography is also used to very good effect.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is exceptionally good. The soundtrack to this film is excellent, and all the available channels are used to very good effect for both atmosphere and sound effects. The Beach also features very good music which sounds fantastic.

Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout the movie.

I also watched the whole film in Dolby Pro-Logic and can report that whilst not having the steering and rear-quality of the Dolby Digital mix, the Pro-Logic sound is of a very high standard. Effects and music are still very good and again, dialogue is understandable through the movie.

Features

Extra features include the music video for "Pure Shores" by All Saints which is one of the themes from the movie and includes the usual movie footage cut with shots of the band and is a very good song. Irritatingly, the caption "All Saints - The Beach from the soundtrack THE BEACH London Records" remains superimposed over the picture throughout.

There are also 9 deleted scenes with optional audio commentary. These include an alternative opening sequence and several scenes which in my opinion should have been left in as they assist the plot, and help to build the viewer`s picture of life on the island. Finally there is an alternate ending.

Other extras include a director`s commentary, trailer and storyboards.

Conclusion

Overall, despite not being sure whether The Beach would be worth watching, I wasn`t far into the movie before I realised just how much I was enjoying it.

As I said at the start of this review, anybody expecting an island romance movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio will be suprised to get a thriller with plenty of action, plenty of drugs, some sex, some gore (and despite there being very little - it`s "top quality" gore that`ll have you gritting you teeth!), and a look at some of the harrowing decisions that are made on the island.

Despite reservations about DiCaprio, he is excellent in the part of Richard, helped of course by a very good supporting cast which includes the beautiful Virginie Ledoyen as the love interest. The variation of nationalities and personalities in the community make the characters interesting.

The story moves along at a good pace and has plenty of humourous moments, some action and plenty of dialogue.

Excellent picture and a very good soundtrack are backed up by some good extras, making the The Beach a good DVD.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed watching this film. Give it a go - maybe you will also be surprised...