Lord of the Flies

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Lord of the Flies

R

Released Mar 16, 1990

1h 30m

Adventure

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In this updated take on William Golding's classic novel, a group of American military schoolboys become marooned on a remote island after a plane crash. While initially cooperative, after the discovery of a beast, the boys split into two warring camps, one headed by the liberal-minded Ralph (Balthazar Getty), the other by the militaristic Jack (Chris Furrh). Their society begins to descend into violence, and boys soon learn there's a thin line between society and savagery.

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: 5/5

Feb 9, 2002

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The symbolism is right up front and unmissable, and the story part -- the events that in theory should cause our throats to tighten and our pulses to quicken -- is pretty lame.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Christie Cronan

Common Sense Media

Brutally violent, with a dark, overarching theme that may be difficult for kids to process, this adaptation is the scarier, more disturbing cousin of the 1963 film.

May 20, 2024

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

The clumsiest film in recent memory... an irritating parody[Full review in Spanish]

Nov 30, 2022

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Bruce C. Steele

OutWeek

Dialogue and actions that resonate in the novel and in the Peter Brook film version here fall lifeless onto the sandy beach.

May 20, 2020

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J.C. Maçek III

PopMatters

1963's Lord of the Flies was a transcendent experience in accurate filmmaking, 1990's Lord of the Flies is only a movie.

Rated: 6/10

May 21, 2015

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Daniel N

Old school but still awesome. Well made for its time and still watchable in 2025

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/25

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Nol P

The Lord of the Flies movie adaptation from 1990 is very good! I read the original novel while growing up! It is only the 2nd time I have ever seen this movie and I had to rely on You Tube to be able to watch the real McCoy original 1990 version as of course it is not on any streaming platforms as usual! The child actors were spot on excellent in this and this really reminds me now on the state of the current US with those representing the hunters and the high and mighty thinkers who have no regard for others or the good! Just DO and NOT think it out first! The US has really come to this point now and so many can learn something if they just read more and educate themself more and have an open heart. 58% of America just cannot though or do not want to be normal or real caring people! Just a bunch of potential anarchy followers like in this movie! Well done writer and producer and director...you predicted something so long ago that now represents the US upcoming demise from 2025 ON! JUST CAUSE ONE EGO MANIAC OVER TALKER SAYS STUFF DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE AND FOLLOW EVERYTHING!!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

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Jerod S

The book was meant to dive deep into the psyche of humans and show what happens when all control is lost. The movie is more just a bunch of boys running around til they're rescued. The dark undertones are missing.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/21/24

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emo T

jack merridew is pretty lowkey

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

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Holly

It's so hard to adapt when the book is so good

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/11/24

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Rami A

I wasn't a fan of book, nor was I fan of this film. Just goes to show how poorly adapted this story was.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

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Harry Hook

Director

Balthazar Getty

Ralph

Chris Furrh

Jack Merridew

Danuel Pipoly

Piggy

James Badge Dale

Simon

Bob Peck

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Synopsis

In this updated take on William Golding's classic novel, a group of American military schoolboys become marooned on a remote island after a plane crash. While initially cooperative, after the discovery of a beast, the boys split into two warring camps, one headed by the liberal-minded Ralph (Balthazar Getty), the other by the militaristic Jack (Chris Furrh). Their society begins to descend into violence, and boys soon learn there's a thin line between society and savagery.

Director: Harry Hook
Producer: Ross Milloy, Lewis M. Allen
Screenwriter: Jay Presson Allen
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.3M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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