Lord of the Flies

Swat! A disappointing rendition of the Golding novel, routinely directed by Brook. With a war about to erupt, a plane carrying some wealthy British schoolboys is flown to the supposed safety of the South Pacific. The plane crashes on a remote island (the film was shot in Puerto Rico and Vieques in the Caribbean), none of the adults makes it to shore, and forty boys are left to fend for themselves. Since you all read the book in high school, you know that the boys split into two gangs and quickly descend to superstitious rituals and murder. Golding's haunting ruminations about the fine line between civilization and savagery are not done justice here. There are some vicious highlights, but the acting is wildly variable, and the film manages to be both overwrought and dull.