Blue Lagoon: The Awakening

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.