Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Lord of the Flies is an old novel that was turned into a movie. The book itself was quite good, and I forget what class exactly that is was that I was required to read the book in during high school, but I remember dreading it at first. I mean, come on, who would want to read about some kid who was the Lord of a bunch of flies? I can only thank my lucky stars that the author was using this as a play on words, and that the title was only a representation of other things in the book, and then movie itself. I will use this review to talk about the movie though, and the impact it seems to have had on my life.

The movie takes place with a terrible plane crash where the only survivors are a bunch of children between the ages of 8 and 13. They are stranded on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, and without supervision, are forced to fend for themselves. The children had all been attendees of a boarding school, and thus where pretty much given anything that they might need by adults. This would turn out to be the first time that they would actually have to fend for themselves.

Being trapped on the island, the boys (they were attending an all-boys school) are forced to rebuild a simple society among themselves in order to survive the harsh environment that they have now been thrown into. Having no real skills of their own in regards to hunting, building, or growing food, they are forced to learn everything the hard way. Of course they do not know exactly what they are going to do at first, and they fall under the assumption that rescue is only a few short hours away. But, soon after that they realize that they are going to have to keep themselves alive, and two leaders start to emerge from the group. The problem with this, is that the two leaders often disagree with how things should go, and of course an inevitable conflict seems to be brewing in the not-to-distant future.

This movie is one of the few that does not revolve around a simple plan and idea. There is no "fairy-godmother" looking out for them, and there is no magic that is going to help them survive on the island. They are forced to use their own wits, their own hearts, and their own will to go on living if they plan on surviving until a rescue finally comes. That is why I liked this movie the very first time that I saw it, and why I wanted to see it again when it came on TNT not so long ago. It is a film about realism and what can go wrong in the human psyche if something is left to chance in life, and not be presented with a clear-cut path.

This film does tend to be a little dramatic in parts, and because of this, I would warn against children under 13 watching it. Even though it does deal with young kids up to young teenagers, I fear that some of the images in the film itself could conger up images in night-mares. But, if you are in for a movie that will make you think, and try your own thoughts, then I highly recommend giving this movie a try. For those who are into the book end of movies, this one sticks very closely to the book itself.

When you are watching this movie though, I also recommend that you do it all in one sitting. Do not plan on getting up during the film, or plan on doing something else at the same time, because you might miss something important in the film itself. It is just one of those films where you will not want to take your eyes off of the screen until the very end!






Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older

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