The Beach
The Beach
Garland's novel centers on a young nicotine-addicted traveler named Richard, an avid pop-culture buff with a particular love for video games and Vietnam War movies. While at a hotel in Bangkok, he finds a map left by his strange, whacked-out neighbor, who just committed suicide. The map supposedly leads to a legendary island paradise where some other wayward souls have settled.
tellum reviewedMay 1, 2025
During the first half of rewatching I thought “this isn’t as bad as I remember, maybe we all overreacted when it came out”. Then the second half went so far off the rails that it’s hard not to say this is one of the worst movies from Leo and Tilda. I am mystified why that direction was taken, what the point was, or even how I am supposed to feel about these characters. This is both bizarre in a good way and bizarre in a very bad way.