Laguna blu: Il risveglio

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.

I can't believe I sat through this movie.How lame.Brenton is good looking and could have had better lines.And Indiana was just a total bitch.This seems like a cheap thrown together as they were filming movie. Very disappointed.I didn't care for the original Blue Lagoon either.I'm pretty sure I could have made a better story than that.And the parents? They just gave up and went home? What? Even the sister loses out cause now she lost the attention while Indiana was gone. Who makes these cheap movies? It should have had a more dangerous plot,and more realistic scenes.Also,sex w/o condoms and she never got preggers? Hmmm...Thats as believable as Brenton not having to shave once

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 – CATCH IT (B) Blue Lagoon the Awakening relives the blue Lagoon phenomena in more PG13 rating for teens of today's. I think it was a really decent movie and deserves credit that even though it's made for TV, its risqué enough for teens. Aussie actors Brenton Thwaites and Indiana Evans are fresh and look great together with or without clothes. The whole movie is shot at beautiful locations and it's really fun to watch. Christopher Atkins and Denise Richards cameo is appreciated.

I personally loved the ending as it's a happy ending though Blue Lagoon movies usually end at Blue Lagoon. Watch it!

Okay, I am a little bit embarrassed to be reviewing this film, but I read some other reviews, and I wanted to point out some elements I noticed.

I caught this movie by accident one morning when I happened to have a day off. I was just flipping channels when it came on. When I saw what it was, I decided to leave it on while I did other things.

What surprised me about the film was the arc for Indiana Evans' character, Emma. While much of the movie was silly, the dialog between the two leads seemed honest in the context of the story and the characters. They actually talked to and got to know one another. Also, unusual for a Lifetime movie, Emma actually takes joy and pleasure in her own sexuality. That the character (not the actor) is a teenager makes for a slightly subversive moment in an otherwise formulaic film.

Emma is also the one who misunderstands Dean when they return home, which is nice, as often men are portrayed as misinterpreting signals, and instead Emma misunderstands Dean. Emma and her sister also have a great moment that passes the Bechtel test, in that they do not talk about the men in their lives, but each other.

The movie has problems, but the acting is not one of them. I think the two leads are quite good with the material, and they make their characters work despite some obvious holes in the plot. The movie's island scenes were also beautifully filmed. The eponymous lagoon is particularly lovely.

Not a spectacular film, but it had a few surprises.