William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, is brought to life by Harry Hook in this superb 1990 movie. It is an excellent choice for classes reading the book.

A plane full of American military boys is shot down onto a deserted island. Completely separated from the adult world, the boys struggle to make shelter, find food, and get rescued. Then a dispute over a hunt brings violence to the island. The protagonist and antagonist, Ralph (Balthazar Getty) and Jack (Chris Furrh), develop a bitter rivalry that leads to nighttime raids, savagery, and murder.

One of the disappointments of the film is that Hook strays far from Golding's allegorical novel. The novel is a symbolic tale of democratic ideals and biblical references. But the movie only scratches the surface of these themes.

Revealing the incredible savagery in humans, “The Lord of the Flies” deserves four out of five stars. I recommend this modern classic to anyone who has read the book.