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The Blue Lagoon

Play trailer Poster for The Blue Lagoon R 1980 1h 44m Romance Drama Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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12% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Seven-year-old cousins Emmeline (Elva Josephson) and Richard (Glenn Kohan) survive a shipwreck and find themselves marooned on a beautiful island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Under the tutelage of a fellow castaway, Paddy Button (Leo McKern), the two learn the basics of survival. When Paddy dies, however, the now adolescent Emmeline (Brooke Shields) and Richard (Christopher Atkins) are on their own to discover sex, love and loneliness in a tropical paradise.
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The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon

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Critics Consensus

A piece of lovely dreck, The Blue Lagoon is a naughty fantasy that's also too chaste to be truly entertaining.

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Critics Reviews

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Michael Blowen Boston Globe 04/28/2018
The Blue Lagoon is closer to Robinson Crusoe Goes Club Med than to its original source. It's a fantasy island conceived at poolside in Beverly Hills and executed by tourists to the Fiji Islands. Shallow water, indeed. Go to Full Review Judith Martin Washington Post 02/06/2018
There have come to be certain conventions of the genre, and it's an annoyance that The Blue Lagoon keeps violating them. Go to Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Post 10/17/2017
"The Blue Lagoon" is a plump sitting duck, waiting to be roasted by sarcastic spectators. Go to Full Review Larry Wegner OUT FRONT Magazine (Denver) 05/08/2023
The Blue Lagoon is a lovely story, but even more, it's a story about love. Go to Full Review Ginger Varney L.A. Weekly 01/04/2021
Yes, the cinematography by Nestor Alamendros leaves you breathless, but the content makes your kids the same old stupid. Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 08/31/2020
5/10
There's a goofiness surrounding the whole ordeal, primarily due to the scripting and acting; the dialogue is mediocre and the performances aren't terribly convincing. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marti M @Goodmom4 Feb 10 I was in my 20's when this movie came out. People loved it, and I guess the nudity wasn't a big deal. We assumed that Shields used a body double, which was true. Atkins was 18 and has said that he was comfortable with it. We were focused on the story and they did a great job. See more Rue F @ARottingBody Jan 21 Great movie for paedophiles! Horrible for anyone else! Who tf showed them sex, kinda implies paddy was a pdf? they were children when they went on the island! Someone said they watch it to get in the mood and its eye candy, HELLO?? its not a "beautiful classic" its fucking underage softcore incest. If children were actually left in a island alone theyd die or lord of the flies that shit. Horrible. The "beautiful dreamy underwear shots" was just mega flashing a child's dick. I PRAY to whatever gods out there that none of the camera crew were paedophiles. This isn't a classic coming of age story, it's child porn. Also the subplot about a tribe on the island was dumb with how they never did anything with it. It would have been such an adorable movie if they didn't show they naked and the tribe adopted the two kids after paddy dies and they DIDNT FUCK LIKE HELLO???? also the statue being called god was wild :| no kid would have given a fuck about whatever religion in that situation See more Daniel C. M Jul 30 A movie i will defend to death. Short, fun, heartbreaking and heartwarming at times. A tale of the purest form of love there is. See more Liam S Apr 12 Personally I loved the 20-30 minutes of the movie it was so fun the watch I always liked the idea of they got stuck in a deserted island when their boat sank but after that the movie cuts to years later when they are adults the movie gets so boring it's nails on a chalkboard and the characters are that stupid they should have known to just put out the fire by using a bucket but when they reach the island they build a hut and try to survive i like that part of the movie a lot but they should have just take the boat and just find a ship to get rescued but nope they stay there and the Captain Paddy just dies for some reason and then they take the boat to another island and just stay there and then years go by when they are adults and then it just becomes so bad and they made a sequel that's even more shitter this movie its awful personally I think this movie should be a short film i give this film a only 3 out of 10 that means i give this film the Johnthebluehatguy seal of garbage sorry you are not going to San Fransisco. See more Filippos S Mar 23 Classic film with some beauty. See more Stephanie M 02/08/2025 I think there is way too much nudity for people who look like their 14 years old and the ending is a bit dull. See more Read all reviews
The Blue Lagoon

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Cast & Crew

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Randal Kleiser

Director

Brooke Shields

Emmeline

Christopher Atkins

Richard

Leo McKern

Paddy Button

William Daniels

Arthur Lestrange

Elva Josephson

Young Emmeline

Movie Clips

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The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Trouble The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Trouble 2:13 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Lovers The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Lovers 2:09 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Saved The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Saved 2:26 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Sticky Kiss The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Sticky Kiss 2:05 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Hootchie Cootchie The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Hootchie Cootchie 2:10 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Funny Thoughts The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Funny Thoughts 2:13 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - You're Bleeding! The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - You're Bleeding! 1:43 The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Not in the Mood The Blue Lagoon: Official Clip - Not in the Mood 2:08 View more videos

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The Blue Lagoon

A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." A scene from the film "The Blue Lagoon." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Seven-year-old cousins Emmeline (Elva Josephson) and Richard (Glenn Kohan) survive a shipwreck and find themselves marooned on a beautiful island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Under the tutelage of a fellow castaway, Paddy Button (Leo McKern), the two learn the basics of survival. When Paddy dies, however, the now adolescent Emmeline (Brooke Shields) and Richard (Christopher Atkins) are on their own to discover sex, love and loneliness in a tropical paradise.
Director
Randal Kleiser
Producer
Randal Kleiser
Screenwriter
Douglas Day Stewart, Henry DeVere Stacpoole
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Romance, Drama, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 4, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 14, 2010
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby A
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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