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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Tomatometer

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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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

Full Review

Audience Member

Based on the best-selling book by William Golding The movie features a big collection of child actors whom are giving it their all with the material None of them are huge caliber names but they make the best of a dreaded situation A group of military youths end up getting shipwrecked in the ocean and stumble upon a deserted island with only 1 adult Their rankings are different from one another yet their survival will depend on them working together if they ever get rescued The child actors are really invested, the scenery is breathtaking, and the power struggle really shows when they each become desperate or corrupted by greed and control Some of the music is downright terrifying, too. I never read the book but it is scary how much division can occur being stranded, acting savage, and fighting for power. Tragedy can strike at any time when discipline, lack of control, and losing trust takes over. It’s a mixture of kid and adult themes that’s pretty intense. Not for everyone but the performances by the kids are a dime a dozen.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/16/23

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colin m

Boys marooned on an island running around in their underwear.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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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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