‘Lord of the Flies’ Review: ‘Adolescence’ Echoes Through Netflix’s Vivid, Eerie Adaptation

The four-part series, inspired by William Golding's 1954 novel and adapted by "Adolescence" co-creator Jack Thorne, frames childhood's lost innocence as more nurture than nature, when a bunch of boys trapped on an island witness their would-be utopia curdle into tragically inevitable chaos.

A grounded yet cynical interpretation of how boys grow into men, William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” has stood the test of time as much for its subversion of adolescent fantasy (kids running wild and free on an island absent any adults) as its allegorical applications. (Raise your hand if you wrote a thematic assessment for English class.)

Largely true to the novel, the first TV adaptation aims for similar endurance, like it was made for teachers to screen on a lazy Friday afternoon after a week spent discussing the book. Its characters consist of identifiable archetypes. Its setting is largely stripped of contemporary or antiquated trappings. Its story is basic and broad, easily absorbed on its own yet packed with lessons about life.

But perhaps most notably, the new Netflix series is not “Yellowjackets.” Far from it.

Despite startling, nightmarish compositions filled with bright red and green hues, as well as a roaming fish-eye lens that orients the boys in an aquarium (just waiting for a finger to tap, tap, tap them into madness), Jack Thorne‘s adaptation of “Lord of the Flies” isn’t a horror show. It also isn’t an ongoing series. It’s four hours long, and constricts its ambitions accordingly.

Where Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson’s hit series on Showtime, er, Paramount+ with Showtime, wait, it’s really Paramount+ Premium now? OK, well, where that series is ferocious in its exploration of teenage girlhood through dynamic, disruptive characters and feral, supernatural storytelling, this series plays it safe. It’s a limited series that feels limited, whereas “Yellowjackets,” for all its growing pains in Seasons 2 and 3, pushes forward with boldness and bravery. Thorne’s straightforward drama works in tandem with its source material, trusting it to do the heavy lifting, and what few intriguing flourishes crop up stem from a game cast of kiddos and similarities to the “Adolescence” writer’s previous four-part limited series.

When it comes to what ails our boys, this “Lord of the Flies” faults nurture over nature.

Set in the early 1950s, with World War II still lingering in the collective consciousness, each episode is focused behind one of the four leads. We start with Piggy (David McKenna), a smart lad (hence the glasses) who’s the first walking, talking, conch-sounding survivor of a plane crash that left every adult passenger dead. Wandering through the jungle, his cheeks pink from windburn, Piggy meets Ralph (Winston Sawyers), a cheery kid who’s just looking for relief from the heat with a quick bath.

Once they make it to the beach and gather the other survivors, Piggy steps up. He lists their immediate needs — start a fire to signal for help, build shelters to protect them from the elements — and tries to establish general rules to keep everyone organized, focused, and communicative. But Piggy — who, in a fatal mistake any bullied boy should know better than to make, only shares the name he doesn’t want to go by rather than one that he actually likes — isn’t a leader. He wasn’t before, in his old life, and he isn’t now. Ralph, with his bright smile and supportive energy, is a more natural fit, and nature takes its course by way of a quick vote.

Even Piggy supports him, although he may have been voting against the competition. Jack (Lox Pratt, in a convincing audition for his next role, Draco Malfoy, in HBO’s “Harry Potter” series) is already an alpha. Blonde and brash, he shows up with a class of loyal choir boys dressed like they’re in military school — a mantle he’s quick to assume on their behalf when Ralph starts divvying up responsibilities. Jack & Co. will do the hunting and tend the signal fire, of course. The cool kids get the cool jobs because the cool kids get to choose.

At first, the group abides by their elected “chief” and operate in their common interests. But the quickly formed society takes about as long to start breaking down. Jack’s sense of superiority never dissipates, and he wields his cruel humor, feigned courage, and authoritative assertions to undermine anyone who disagrees with him. Piggy’s thoughtful recommendations are dismissed as “boring” blathering from a know-it-all, and even Ralph struggles to unite a crowd of scared, unruly kids who don’t know any better than to follow their instincts.

Or mirror their fathers. Sparingly interspersed among the island narrative are flashbacks to another island, colonized long ago. Jack, alone and jealous, watches as parents say goodbye to their children before the fateful plane ride. Ralph studies his father during his mother’s funeral, trying to understand how one deals with death. Simon (Ike Talbut), the lone dissenter among Jack’s choir, stares down a judgmental Jesus Christ while singing in church. Does God know his secrets? Does He judge him for them like his classmates do? Like his father seems to, given the abuse he inflicts on his only son?

Thorne, along with director Marc Munden, emphasizes that the boys see the world through their fathers’ eyes. What little they’ve gleaned about responsibility and survival have been given to them by their dads, be it what they’ve done or what they’ve failed to do. Sure, kids may not know any better than to run and play when they should be listening and taking care, but those are lessons that come with time and proper parenting; neglect and violence don’t come from nowhere. Whether they’re explicitly taught or assumed in the absence of better options, they’re still learned behaviors.

Out of the jungle, in modern society, Thorne previously explored similar ideas with urgent specificity. “Adolescence” wasn’t didactic, claiming to know exactly what’s haunting today’s troubled young men, but it thoughtfully and powerfully elevated points of concern, including the manosphere, social media, and economic factors, while rendering a tender portrait of a family in crisis.

“Lord of the Flies” is its colder, rougher cousin. Perhaps its approach — using well-known I.P. to paint its picture with a broader brush on a smaller canvas — will prove more persistent in the long-term, allowing viewers to return to the tale whenever their own kids read Golding’s work in school. But right now, these boys have less to tell us than “Adolescence,” and offer a fleeting sting compared to the girls of “Yellowjackets.”

Grade: B-

“Lord of the Flies” premieres Monday, May 4 on Netflix. All four episodes will be released at once.