Unlike in Titanic , Leonardo DiCaprio does not drown in The

Beach, but a confusing and overused plot makes it very hard for him to

swim.

In his first large-scale role since the boat blockbuster, DiCaprio tries

his hand at “darker” acting. His effort in Danny Boyle’s The Beach

is commendable. Unfortunately, not much else shines in this film.

Based on Alex Garland’s book, The Beach tells the story of Richard

(DiCaprio), a young American turned off by the fake and superficial modern

world. His search for something or someone real leads him to Thailand.

While bumming around in Bangkok, Richard hears an urban legend of a secret

beach – a paradise for the lost.

In true movie fashion, The Beach does not turn out to be paradise

after all, mainly due to the predictable storyline. There is, of course,

the mysterious, beautiful girl (Virginie Ledoyen), with whom Richard

develops an infatuation, and the overbearing boyfriend character (Guillaume

Canet), which screams for conflict. There are the “bad” guys, whose sole

purpose is apparently to look angry and to wave their guns around.

It is evident that DiCaprio is attempting to build his range as an

actor. His best scenes are those which take his character into a slight

dementia. The clips of Richard playing the hero in a pretend video game are

disturbing, yet oddly captivating and engaging. New approaches like these

prove to be very intriguing, especially in a sea of clichés. It is when the

film takes chances that it succeeds at drawing in the audience.

In an attempt to keep the audience guessing with plot twist after plot

twist, The Beach misses out on making any point at all. There is no

redemption; no final, heroic escape. The film ends like it begins, with

Richard wondering if real meaning ever existed.

However, a few bright spots do come through on the screen. The sarcastic

humor sprinkled throughout the sour mood of the movie gets a few laughs.

One gets the impression that if the film had been allowed to be more

naturally funny, the “deeper” parts would have been easier to swallow.

For what it is, The Beach has beautiful scenery, beautiful people,

and a few scary moments. It is sufficient as a matinee action movie, but it

needs a little more to be a Saturday night thriller.