Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies (1989)

  • 61% of critics liked it
    (18 reviews)

  • 53% of users liked it
    (53,733 ratings)

Harry Hook directed this second screen adaptation of William Golding's cult novel about a group of British schoolchildren who revert to savagery when marooned on a deserted island. The new adaptation replaces British school children with a group of American military cadets and instead of a… More

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
William Golding, Sara Schiff
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1989 Limited
Nelson Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • 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.

  • Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

    O brilhante texto de Golding sobrevive até mesmo aos tropeços da direção insegura de Hook.

  • Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide

    The disc has a solid picture.

  • Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide

    If the best thing you can say about this adaptation is that the island looks pretty, perhaps we might be better off borrowing a travelogue video from the local library.

  • Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

    A rousing remake of the classic tale by William Golding about the dark side of human nature

Read all 6 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • erika b


    did not follow the book plot at all.

  • Universal D


    instead of proper little english tykes this film substitutes closer-to-home american military school kids, future halliburton wannabes, but there's more that's changed as well. instead of falling into depravity because it's their nature, in our nature, like in the… More

  • Luke B


    A shockingly terrible adaptation. All of the pieces might be there on screen, but nothing and I mean NOTHING that makes any sense translates onto screen. It's amazing how someone could miss all of the interesting themes. I'm pretty sure the child actors wrote the script… More

  • KJ P


    The movie itself is pretty good, but when associated with the novel, it fails pretty bad. The acting is over the top, even though they are young, and the executions of the killings are way overdone, and sometimes very corny. I is enjoyable to watch maybe with your friends, so that you… More

  • Jason O


    Bleh, just bleh. I loved reading the book in high school and wouldn't mind owning that one day, but this movie I never plan to own.

Read all 18 featured audience ratings

Currently unavailable on Flixster

Also available on

Other Retailers

Not Available
Not Available

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (31)

Trailers & Clips