The Blue Lagoon

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The Blue Lagoon

R

1980

1h 44m

Romance

Drama

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

13%

Tomatometer

24 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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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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Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Apr 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.

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Judith Martin

Washington Post

Feb 6, 2018

There have come to be certain conventions of the genre, and it's an annoyance that The Blue Lagoon keeps violating them.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Oct 17, 2017

"The Blue Lagoon" is a plump sitting duck, waiting to be roasted by sarcastic spectators.

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Larry Wegner

OUT FRONT Magazine (Denver)

May 8, 2023

The Blue Lagoon is a lovely story, but even more, it's a story about love.

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Ginger Varney

L.A. Weekly

Jan 4, 2021

Yes, the cinematography by Nestor Alamendros leaves you breathless, but the content makes your kids the same old stupid.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 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.

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Matilda D

@RT90062828 4 days ago

I really enjoyed this movie , it’s dreamy and calming at some points although it can be quite explicit and inappropriate the actors talents and beauty on screen make it more intriguing and intense . Summery of the movie- intense, beautiful, fun and one of a kind

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Teddy B

@RT90521672 Oct 27, 2026

Not particularly sexy, shocking or entertaining. There is no particular point to most of the sequences comprising this obscene runtime besides romance---and in that aspect what we're offered is flacid, mannered and workmanlike, with anti-chemistry and a queasy focus on these kids' sheer naivety towards each other and themselves, which is supremely stupid to watch play out so repetitively.

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Big Loc T

@RT55963344 Sep 22, 2026

I made an account just to write this review. This movie makes absolutely no sense at all. If I was the one on that island I would've gone out like Button than to ever exist in that kind of movie world. If I had a choice to watch Shark Tale or this movie for the rest of eternity I'd always and happily watch Shark Tale than this kind of insult to even think of this as a movie.

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dont W

@bgrishappy Sep 21, 2026

Not worth a watch. Maybe watch if you are really bored with access to no other movies.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 6, 2026

Not a very good movie!

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Kimberly L.

@RT04359972 Jun 1, 2026

From a filmmakers point of view you can see how impactful the simple script is. The story line is complete with subtle cues that our modern world usually taught us and there small young minds had to grow up essentially with the knowledge of an 11 year old. Its a simple yet impactful masterpiece.

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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

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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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