‘The beast is close at hand,’ is the takeaway from Lord of the Flies in any era; William Golding’s transgressive, regressive book was filmed in 1963 by Peter Brook, and got an Americanised remake in 1990. This one is a UK+ Australian co-production between the BBC and down-under streamer Stan, and it’s arguably the most watchable version by today’s standards; Brook’s version is quite theatrical and filmed in stark black and white, while any Americanised version of this story totally misses the point; Golding was writing his story in 1954, and this tale of castaway boys surviving the aftermath of a plane crash on a tropical Pacific Island works far better as an allegory with the local roots intact…