Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

Starring Balthazar Getty, Chris Furrh, Danuel Pipoly, Badgett Dale

Directed by Harry Hook

The Story:
A group of military school cadets crash on a deserted island, with little hope of rescue.  The kids turn to the oldest member of the group, Ralph (Balthazar Getty), to take command.  At first things are tranquil and peaceful, with every boy doing his work and maintaining a fire for someone to see.  However, the kids become lazy and under the leadership of the rebellious Jack (Chris Furrh), they turn on Ralph and defect, becoming hunters who savagely scour the land for meat.

When a boy is frightened by a supposed creature in a cave, the other boys are sent into a tizzy and begin turning on one another, setting their sights on their former leader Ralph and his lone companion Piggy (Danuel Pipoly), proving that the most dangerous creature is in fact man.

The Synopsis:
In 1954, Sir William Golding wrote the novel "Lord of the Flies," which would go on to inspire many of today's biggest cultural phenomena.  Books like "The Hunger Games" and "The Maze Runner" draw highly from "Lord of the Flies," as do reality competition shows such as "Survivor" and even internationally in the form of the Japanese film "Battle Royale."  The concept of children resorting to savage tactics after being left alone to fend for themselves in a harsh, unprotected world is a fascinating study on how society could break down in the real world if faced with a cataclysmic event - and it's obvious by Golding's writing that he had little hope for stability.

The book was adapted into a film back in 1963, but it's the 1990 version that's gained a cult classic following after lukewarm reviews and critical panning.  Sure, it's not a fantastic film by any stretch of the imagination and could never win an Oscar, but it's still an intriguing character study on the differing viewpoints that people hold to - one is a diplomatic, systemic viewpoint while the other is a hunter, supplier standpoint.  On their own, one could never operate perfectly without the other, but when both are led by strong-willed kids who refuse to see the other's view, it turns downright deadly.

On one side there's Ralph, played by Balthazar Getty (if his last name sounds familiar, it's because he belongs to the Getty dynasty, where his grandfather was at one point the wealthiest man in the world, and his father was the subject of a famous kidnapping that was recently made into the movie "All the Money in the World").  Ralph is a diplomat who values the input of the other kids but also maintains balance by having a conch shell they use to speak.  He assigns roles for the kids in order to maintain a stable environment as well as constantly keep on the watch for eventual rescue.  He's more passive, friendly, and also stern - he doesn't mind the kids having fun, but there also has to be a work aspect to their new life here.

On the other side is Jack, played by Chris Furrh.  Jack is headstrong and determined, bound to catch a wild pig that taunts the children.  He forms a hunting party who goes out in search for the pig, often neglecting the duties Ralph assigned to him.  He's forceful and rough, proving a military-style persona to Ralph's diplomacy.  When word reaches the kids of a monster on the island, Jack vows to kill it, drawing the respect from the other kids who see him as a protective figure - even if he's also ruthless.

It's interesting to see the kids deteriorate from civilized living to near neanderthal-like motives, and witnessing the power struggle between Ralph and Jack.  As the other kids face their own loyalties, they are also bound to each other as being stuck in the same predicament, but even that loyalty erodes as the struggle for survival becomes more important than human decency.

It would be neat to see someone remake the film for this generation, because I'm not entirely sure how kids today would handle being stuck in the middle of nowhere.  Would they know how to make shelter, a fire, or even hunt?  Or would they cry helplessly, cradling their useless cell phones because they have no Internet access on the island?  Yes, I'm over-simplifying things, but it'd still be interesting to see how modern day kids would tackle this sort of event.

Many people don't like this film because it stays far from the source material, but I'm never one to compare a film from the book it's based off of - mostly because I haven't read it.  While wikipedia does give a different synopsis from the book to the film, I can still appreciate the film for being its own unique vision of what would happen when a bunch of civilized children are left to fend for themselves.

The Summary:
Raising interesting questions about society as a whole, "Lord of the Flies" continues to shock and amaze readers today, and the film is a stark vision of society interrupted, in a world where the mighty prevail and the weak are punished.

The Score: A