Summary: The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American romantic survival drama film directed by Randal Kleiser from a screenplay written by Douglas Day Stewart based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins.
Watched 7/22/22
Run time: 1 hour and 44 minutes
My rating: 0/10
Genre- historical drama

SPOILERS AND SENSITIVE/MATURE CONTENT AHEAD

This is a long review so strap in for the ride

Many issues with this film: Children exposed to pornographic content, borderline racist comments made by Mr. Button, a romanticized incestuous relationship between Richard and Emmeline, and the fact that 14 year old Brooke Shields hardly got to wear clothes along with various other scenes of child nudity.

I knew going into this movie that its content was problematic but I did not realize the extent of it.

To be honest, my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see what all the controversy surrounding this film was about.

The scene where Paddy/Button drowns and the kids find him washed up on shore was pretty spooky. A spider crawled from his mouth, making Em faint.

I couldn't help but be mad at Paddy for drinking so much when he had children to watch over. But suppose being stranded on an island with no hope for rescue would drive anyone to the bottle.

Nudity was a large theme in the film. I know they are on an island with no clothing other than what they've made, but the camera people could've angled the view so the audience couldn't see the children's personal parts.

I read that Brooke's nudity scenes were done by a body double but I'm not sure how true that is.

The entire movie I expected some big obstacle or struggle they'd have to overcome and it never came. Just them. Living life. Boring.

As for the acting, it was meh. Mediocre for most of the film. Animation was pretty bad, even by 80s standards.

Also. Warning.

INCEST. INCEST. INCEST.

Emmeline and Richard are cousins! She calls his father 'Uncle Arthur'

They could've just been friends. Not cousins at all. They didn't need a romantic relationship anyways.

It made this movie nearly impossible to watch.

They finally get a chance to leave when a ship goes by and Em refused to light the signal fire! So stupid. Richard is rightfully angry with her after this because who knows when another ship might pass.

She also kisses him and then gets upset and screams when he kisses her back. Then she taunts him for attempting to make a boat. Constantly bullying him for trying to find a way off.

She admits she spies on him while he masturbates and that she will tell his father if they ever get to their family again.
He proceeds to make fun of the way her breasts look and slap her. Then kick her out of the hut.

At another point he tells her to stop eating because she's getting fat. He tried to guilt trip her into sex.

The entire relationship is so toxic and abusive! Not a romance movie whatsoever.

And of course there's the incest baby. Poor 15 year old Em has to give birth.

I don't understand how they figured out how sex was because they didn't know about periods, breastfeeding, or the fact that sex = babies.

lil incest baby swallows some poison berries and Richard and Em swallow some too so they can all die together.

Then Richard's father appears on a boat. He never stopped looking for the children. They find the bodies and it's revealed that they aren't dead, simply in a coma.

Movie ends there.