Les Naufragés du lagon bleu

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.

It is not comparable with the classics but with minor recourses, no special effects, it is just fun to watch. Do not compare or overthink it.

Just lay back and enjoy.

Although some. Scenes maybe not realistic, overall it is even educating in a way. How people can change when they are out off there normal environment. Ok, this is only the positive view on it. It is more likely that at onetime one of them kills the other but that is why you should not overthink to much while watching it.

I just enjoined watching it on a lazy Sunday evening when I only needed some relaxing and than it is more than an ok movie.

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.

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.