The Blue Lagoon Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1980

The Blue Lagoon sparked a good deal of controversy upon its release in 1980, primarily due to the alleged nude scenes involving the teen stars, Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins (in reality, adult body doubles were used during full nude scenes). Despite an unhealthy level of scorn from critics, movie audiences flocked to this film, making it a box office success.

At its core the film is a coming-of-age story about two cousins that are stranded on a tropical island and must struggle to survive against the elements and other unseen dangers, all the while developing into sexually mature teenagers. So is The Blue Lagoon shallow and exploitive or touching and beautiful? Read on to find out…

When a roaring fire erupts on a passenger ship in the South Pacific seas, chaos ensues as men scramble to find lifeboats while others leap into the sea to evade the inferno. In the midst of this disaster, two cousins, Richard (Glenn Kohan) and Emmeline (Elva Josephson) manage to be shepherded into a lifeboat by Paddy Button (Leo McKern), the gruff but warm-hearted ship's chef.

As day blends into night and night into day, chances of rescue or even survival becomes slim, but one day a newfound hope is found when an unpopulated tropical island is seen on the horizon. The two young children and their elder protector create a home on the island and learn to accept the fact that a rescue may never occur.

One dark day Paddy dies, leaving the two children to fend for themselves. Luckily before his passing Paddy imparted many survival lessons onto these children, so despite his absence they are able to survive.

The Blue Lagoon's main storyline opens when the two children transition into teenagers. Emmeline (now played by Brooke Shields) and Richard (Christopher Atkins) undergo the confusing rite of passage away from childhood innocence into sexual maturity. Eventually their family is extended in the form of a baby boy, and despite facing near-constant hardships such as dangerous wildlife and a cannibal tribe on the other end of the island the two young lovers must face a difficult question: if opportunity for rescue ever did arise, would they actually want to return to civilization now that they have built a home in this pristine, untouched island?

The underlying premise of two castaways trying to survive on an uncharted island definitely affords ample opportunity for a remarkable viewing experience. Although often difficult to handle gracefully, the coming-of-age elements can also provide some compelling and touching scenes. Technically, The Blue Lagoon had a lot going for it, but its quest to become an epic film ends in failure.

Before moving on to the negative elements of the film, let me touch upon the positive. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous since the movie was filmed on a true tropical island devoid of electricity or civilization. A large assortment of wildlife is lovingly captured on camera, from turtles to parrots. The alluring backdrop is a visual feast for the eyes that is almost worth the price of admission itself.

The late Leo McKern is also an extraordinary asset for the movie – his performance was riveting, and perfectly captured the essence of a crusty curmudgeon with a heart of gold. Watching him interact with the children and adapt to his role as a surrogate parent was moving and absorbing; it's a shame that his character had to pass on early in the movie.

Which leads to the bad… the two primary actors! It's generally considered "a very bad thing" when the two prepubescent versions of Richard and Emmeline have more acting chops than the adults, especially considering neither of them were professional actors! (Glenn Kohan's sole experience on camera was with this film.)

Brooke Shields is a comely woman, but unfortunately her performance doesn't come close to matching her beauty. Her acting was wooden for the most part, though there were glimmers of an acceptable performance that peeked through from time to time.

Christopher Atkins, on the other hand, put forth a performance that was pure painful to watch. In fact I can't emphasize enough just how excruciating it was. I'd rather exile myself to an isolated island and eat rats for months on end than watch him play the role of Richard again. If you think I'm exaggerating, I dare you to watch the film and prove me wrong. (To be extraordinarily generous, I'll point out that The Blue Lagoon was Atkins' film debut, so it's possible he improved with time.)

Atkins might not have been so painful to watch were it not for the abhorrent script he was forced to follow. The two teenagers possessed the maturity of five year olds, spitting out constant streams of inane chatter. Some would argue that without the benefit of an education their vocabulary could never excel beyond the eight or nine year old vocabulary they arrived on the island with. This is true, but it's also a red herring since maturity is not defined by the size of one's vocabulary. Richard and Emmeline behaved like one too many coconuts landed on their heads over the years, not like maturing young adults.

For all those that are anxiously awaiting the nudity report, fear not – here it comes. The Blue Lagoon contains a significant amount of partial and full-frontal nudity, so if eye candy is your objective then you'll find a good deal of it here. In fact the nudity is the only thing I could detect that earned this film an R-rating; without it The Blue Lagoon would easily have been a PG. It should be said that the nudity is generally very innocent, non-sexual and perfectly suitable for the setting – it's not exploitive in my opinion.

In the end, although The Blue Lagoon was hampered with a questionable script and some pretty horrible acting, there are enough strong points in the forms of Leo McKern, the natural beauty of the wildlife and the intriguing premise that I'll give this severely flawed film an average rating. It's not a movie that I would want to watch repeatedly (or ever again, most likely), but if coming-of-age or romance movies are up your alley it's most definitely worth watching. Although I could not garner any significant enthusiasm for the film, there are countless passionate fans that are absolutely in love with it.

Movie rating: 5 stars

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