1990 adaptation of 'Lord of the Flies' varies from 1954 novel

A couple of weeks ago, I finished reading Sir William Golding’s classic novel, “The Lord of the Flies,” and this afternoon, for the first time, I watched the 1990 film adaptation of the novel.
The 1990 movie, which starred Balthazar Getty in the lead role of Ralph, was actually the second film adaptation of the book. The first was released in 1963.
The 1990 movie was entertaining, but as you probably already imagined, it was somewhat different from the book, which was released in 1954.
The most obvious difference was the amount of profanity used in the movie, which seemed to be included to show just how far the boys had degenerated in the absence of adults. The novel included no profanity, as far as I can remember.
The movie also appears to be set during the late 1980s or early 1990s. During one scene, the boys briefly discuss what would be on television at that time of night and make a passing reference to the comedic sitcom “ALF,” which originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990.
Also, in the novel, the boys are British, and in the movie, they’re American. At the end of the novel, the boys are rescued by a British naval officer, who appears on the beach with a navy ship just off shore. In the movie, the boys are rescued by what appears to be a U.S. Marine Corps captain, who’s backed up by at least two modern helicopters.
Another big difference had to do with the presence of an adult, Captain Benson, who is initially marooned on the island with the boys. He appears to have been the pilot of the plane they were traveling in before it crashed in the ocean. Benson is injured and the boys try to care for him on the beach before he disappears into the island’s interior. He later appears as “the monster” when some of the boys explore a cave. Benson appears to be accidentally killed during this encounter with the boys, who treat the cave as off limits, thinking that there’s a monster inside. In the novel, the boys misinterpret a dead aviator who lands on the island after parachuting from a plane that’s been shot down. The plane is shot down some time, maybe weeks, after the boys become marooned on the island.
One of the best things about the movie was the casting of actors to play Piggy and the twins Sam and Eric. Danuel Pipoly was spot on as Piggy, and Andrew and Edward Taft were excellent choices as the two twins, who were such a big part of the story.
In the end, this movie was fun to watch, and I enjoyed making comparisons between it and the novel. Do any of you remember seeing this movie when it came out? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.