X
- 1980
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
- 1980
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
Summary In the Victorian period, two children are shipwrecked on a tropical island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together, unaware that sexual maturity will eventually intervene.
Directed By: Randal Kleiser
Written By: Henry De Vere Stacpoole, Douglas Day Stewart
- 1980
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
- 1980
- R
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
The Blue Lagoon
31
6.8
Where to Watch
Summary In the Victorian period, two children are shipwrecked on a tropical island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together, unaware that sexual maturity will eventually intervene.
Directed By: Randal Kleiser
Written By: Henry De Vere Stacpoole, Douglas Day Stewart
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
31
7% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
36% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
57% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
31
7% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
36% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
57% Negative
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
Producer-director Randal Kleiser takes the pair through puberty and into parenthood with a charming candor that stresses natural, instinctive sexual development without leering at it. Their romance is enhanced by Nestor Almendros’ exquisite photography (and Basil Poledouris’ score), as is the stunning beauty of the Fiji island where it was filmed.
It's supposed to be one of those stories of a child's innocence - that means nudity - told in an unfettered way. But the young people in the film who grow up together on a tropical island are dumb-dodo types. As a result all we watch for is the nudity and, it turns out, teen-ager Brooke Shields is doubled in her nude scenes by a 31-year-old model. So much for truth and innocence.
One can only conclude that the filmmakers know as little of the facts of life as the children.
The Blue Lagoon is the dumbest movie of the year. It could conceivably have been made interesting, if any serious attempt had been made to explore what might really happen if two 7-year-old kids were shipwrecked on an island. But this isn't a realistic movie. It's a wildly idealized romance, in which the kids live in a hut that looks like a Club Med honeymoon cottage, while restless natives commit human sacrifice on the other side of the island.
The Blue Lagoon is a plump sitting duck, waiting to be roasted by sarcastic spectators. But director Randal Kleiser and his associates may enjoy the last laugh at the box office if this oblivious romantic idyll connects with susceptibilities as naive and dumb-founding as their own.
All we have to look forward to is: When are these two going to discover fornication? The director, Randal Kleiser, and his scenarist, Douglas Day Stewart, have made the two clean and innocent by emptying them of any dramatic interest. Watching them is about as exciting as looking into a fishbowl waiting for guppies to mate. It's Disney nature porn.
Filled with holes big enough to drive a train through and moments of suspense that prove false alarms, the story
concerns two young people (Shields and Chris Atkins) who are shipwrecked on an island, develop a sexual relationship as they mature, and so forth. At a little over 100 minutes, the film feels as if huge chunks of it were edited out for pace; however, the wrong chunks have been cut.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 User Ratings
6.8
57% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
33% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
10% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 User Ratings
6.8
57% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
33% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
10% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Columbia Pictures
Release Date Jul 2, 1980
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating R
Tagline A story of natural love.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
• 2 Wins & 4 Nominations
