What shot this movie down for me was the frustrating, lazy script that did not have enough information about the paper-thin characters. You need to know more than just their names.

The story just didn't give enough details about anything, and I felt myself dissatisfied, which makes for a confusing ending.

If you left out the story, this film would make a great travel log, with glorious tropical backdrops which are spectacular. But that alone is just not enough for me.

Need a little romance in your life? Are you willing to spend a few hours with Leonardo De Caprio on a deserted island?

Well, if you answered yes to either of these questions, you will be very disappointed if you see The Beach--a beautiful travelogue bogged down by a cliched script and delivering little more than a picture postcard tour of paradise.

Save your money and take a real vacation.

The Beach is about a dream of youth and the longing to stay young.

Everyone is young and good looking in this film, and they skip, prance, and frolic on the beach all day. The dream becomes a nightmare, and the consequences of a society based entirely on pleasure falls apart, with drug use and violence taking over.

What I really didn't like was the way the movie lurches from event to event. There's too much the picture wants to fit in, in too short of a time period.