Blue Lagoon: The Awakening

Okay, I am a little bit embarrassed to be reviewing this film, but I read some other reviews, and I wanted to point out some elements I noticed.

I caught this movie by accident one morning when I happened to have a day off. I was just flipping channels when it came on. When I saw what it was, I decided to leave it on while I did other things.

What surprised me about the film was the arc for Indiana Evans' character, Emma. While much of the movie was silly, the dialog between the two leads seemed honest in the context of the story and the characters. They actually talked to and got to know one another. Also, unusual for a Lifetime movie, Emma actually takes joy and pleasure in her own sexuality. That the character (not the actor) is a teenager makes for a slightly subversive moment in an otherwise formulaic film.

Emma is also the one who misunderstands Dean when they return home, which is nice, as often men are portrayed as misinterpreting signals, and instead Emma misunderstands Dean. Emma and her sister also have a great moment that passes the Bechtel test, in that they do not talk about the men in their lives, but each other.

The movie has problems, but the acting is not one of them. I think the two leads are quite good with the material, and they make their characters work despite some obvious holes in the plot. The movie's island scenes were also beautifully filmed. The eponymous lagoon is particularly lovely.

Not a spectacular film, but it had a few surprises.