Review of The Blue Lagoon (1980) by Jon T — 18 Sep 2010
The lavish, breathtaking cinematography by Nestor Almendros is the major attraction to this tale about two shipwrecked teenagers discovering their sexuality on a deserted island. Otherwise, though, THE BLUE LAGOON is a very uneven film.
Chris Atkins and Brooke Shields are gorgeous to look at and phsycially appealing, but their actual performances are another matter. In all fairness, though, Atkins is the better of the two, although the less said about Shields, the better.
(The only time both have any effect is in the scene where they try to celebrate Christmas; this moment is genuinely touching and sad.) The dialogue isn't particularly inspiring either; the film is actually at its best during the long stretches of dialogue-less scenes underscored by lovely music by Basil Poledouris.
THE BLUE LAGOON is a love-it or hate-it film; it's easy to see why it carved a following of fans, but it's just as compelling to understand the backlash against it. However one responds to this film depends on his/her tolerance for its glaring faults.
This review of The Blue Lagoon (1980) was written by Jon T on 18 Sep 2010.
The Blue Lagoon has generally received mixed reviews.
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