critic do not like this film . roger ebert and whose review i generally find insightful and on target and give it just 2 star and call it seriously confuse . on the imdb hit parade and it only rate about 6 star . because of this and i do not go and see it at the theatre and and have be ambivalent about rent the video and even though i like dicaprio work and and admire danny boyle previous trainspotting . then my teenage daughter come home from a party where she and her friend have watch it and and she say and it brilliant . you have to see it and mum . so and we rent the video and and i be glad we do . the beach be an interesting and solid film that tell an intriguing and if somewhat episodic and story in a stylish way . dicaprio be and indeed and excellent a a young man search for life ultimate experience and and get more than he bargain for . this be a loss of innocence story and a sort of cross between lord of the fly and apocalypse now and and the musical the fantastics . director danny boyle lead u on richard journey to the heart of darkness in an energetic and stylish way filming be interesting and beautiful and he get excellent result from his actor . the use of richard voice over a narrative often a distraction in film here offer a certain amount of adolescent profundity and acuteness of observation and and it work . i have be a traveller in thailand . although richard quest and richard scene wasn not mine and i have see it . the beach and the bar and the snake blood and the dope and the party . i have also be a high school teacher and and have work with adolescent hungry to discover the real world and to bite into eve apple with gusto . many from new zealand head off in their late teen or early twenty on the great oe ( overseas experience ) . the same be undoubtedly true for many australian and brit and if not so commonly for american youth . so there a strong element of truth in this story . don not listen to the critic . this be a good and solid film with an interesting perceptive story and fine performance and and a stylish presentation . four star out of five .