Blue Lagoon: The Awakening

I like castaway stories. I like BL: TA, although it is not as good as The Blue Lagoon (1980), and definitely not a masterpiece like Cast Away (2000, with Tom Hanks). In my view, the BL: TA has the following shortcomings: 1) The scenes with the parents searching their kids are too long. 2) What do they eat in the island? We see a bit but not enough. 3) The castaways should have lost weight, burned by the sun, get long hair / beards, etc. – as in Cast Away (2000). Or we should see a scene in which the castaways find one or more boxes with useful artifacts like matches, scissors, cutlery, solar cream etc. (in the 1980 version they get stranded with various things – no solar cream of course, since that story is placed around 1900). 4) The film should have some nude scenes as in the 1980 version. 5) They become castaways in a very unrealistic way. There is no island like this near Trinidad, and if there were one, castaways would probably be rescued within a few days (Moreover, such a small island cannot have a black panther or a waterfall). If someone had asked me to rewrite the script, I would have advised to start the film at an airport, where the two star-actors enter a plane as passengers. They don't know each other but the girl notices the boy as a "snob". The plane crashes in the Pacific (as in Cast Away). On their island, the teenagers tell each other about themselves and their relatives, with scenes as in the film, but shown in retrospect. The castaways find out that they are very different, so that they do not fall in love at once. Nonetheless, BL: TA has various enjoyable scenes. I like to see how the teenagers slowly fall in love during their exile. The scenes after homecoming are interesting as well. In Cast Away those scenes are very different – in that film the main personality cannot re-discover his destiny – but I like the scenes in BL: TA as well. The girl seems to be no longer in love with the boy – quite understandable.

Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012)

** (out of 4)

The fourth version of the story has teenagers Emma (Indiana Evans) and Dean (Brenton Thwaites) getting stranded together on an island. Of course they're polar opposites and can't stand one another but soon they begin to fall in love while their future remains uncertain. I've always considered the 1980 version of the film, without question the most popular one, to be a camp classic because it's just so silly in some of its themes. The silly nature carries over to this remake but for the most part the film remains entertaining throughout. There are several problems with the film including the fact that it's way too pretty for its own good and it really does seem as if the producers just wanted to make a silly fantasy for teenage girls. There's really not a single smart conversation that happens at any point in the movie and for the most part the dialogue basically consists of one teen asking a question, the other replying and then the first person will have a follow up comment. There's also never a single second where you believe the situation these two are in. How they get on the island was pretty weak but it really doesn't help that even after months on this island both teens have perfect hair and make-up still as if they just stepped off a magazine cover. The romance between the two is silly and never believable and the final fifteen minutes are pretty pathetic, completely predictable and at times embarrassing. With all of that said, the film still kept me entertained because, well, it's just cheap and to the point. I thought both Evans and Thwaites were good in their roles, although there's no question that the parts didn't demand too much. I think their main goal was to just look pretty. Denise Richards really isn't believable in the role of the girl's mother and fans of the 1980 film will be happy to see Christopher Atkins in a small part. As much as I've talked down on the film I will admit that it was never horrid and thankfully it was never boring. I'm sure the targeted audience will enjoy the movie while others will probably want to stick with an earlier version since they were a lot more adult in the way the subject was handled.

How can this movie have only 0.3 less than the original Blue Lagoon!? Blue Lagoon (The Original) is criminally underrated. If anybody is seeing this I would hope they would give the Original a fair rating as this Film, which is basically Garbage, has a 5.5 and the Original Blue Lagoon currently has a 5.8. This movie is at least a 4 when compared to the Original which deserves at least a 6.5 minimum. The Acting and script in the Original is incredible.

Emma Robinson (Indiana Evans) is a popular sweet girl. Her partying friend Lizzie tries to push her to date the hot quarterback. Dean McMullen (Brenton Thwaites) is the angry school outcast. The class goes to Trinidad to do humanitarian work or more like a privileged Caribbean vacation. They go on a party yacht. The police breaks up the party. Emma falls off the boat. Dean jumps in after her. Dean cuts the line not wanting to get in trouble with the cops. They are lost in the ocean and lands on a desolate island.

Dean is a real jerk and a true idiot. He is a horrible character. He could be an interesting quiet introspective outcast. Instead, he is really annoying and fully deserves his outcast position. It doesn't help that he's the reason that they're stranded. He caused the whole thing. The movie needs him to save her to start their adventure. On the positive side, it's two beautiful people on a desert island. The time back home is actually more interesting and a bit more compelling. The last act has some good melodrama. Neither of the actors are terribly good although I can't blame anything on their performance. They did what the movie needs but nothing more.

Blue Lagoon: The Awakening is a romantic movie that is definitely not for kids. The film follows two teenagers, Emma and Dean, who find themselves stranded on a deserted island after a school trip goes awry. As they struggle to survive, they begin to develop feelings for each other, leading to a classic "chick flick" romance.

The movie is visually stunning, with breathtaking shots of the tropical island and the crystal-clear waters that surround it. The chemistry between the two leads, played by Brenton Thwaites and Indiana Evans, is palpable, and their performances are solid. However, the plot is somewhat predictable and lacks depth, making it a bit forgettable.

Overall, Blue Lagoon: The Awakening is a decent romantic movie that is best enjoyed by fans of the genre. It's not a groundbreaking film, but it does deliver on its promise of providing a sweet and charming love story. While it may not be a must-see, it's a pleasant way to spend a lazy afternoon, especially if you're in the mood for a little bit of escapism.