‘Blue Lagoon: The Awakening’ – the most watchable Lifetime movie ever?

Generally, approaching Lifetime’s made-for-TV movies with low expectations is the most prudent road to take. That way, you can laugh at the hilariously poorly written dialogue and improbable situations without being disappointed. But sometimes that approach backfires — like when the movies are highly enjoyable and eminently watchable without any major flaws, like “Blue Lagoon: The Awakening.”

The reboot of the 1980 camp classic “The Blue Lagoon,” about two Michigan teens (Indiana Evans and Brenton Thwaites) who get stranded on a deserted island together, had all the elements of an awesomely bad Lifetime flick: island setting, distraught mother (played by a great Denise Richards), teens discovering their sexuality. It’s a remake of a campy movie to begin with, so it’s not like you’re expecting Shakespeare. Or even Nora Ephron.

But, much to our surprise, the dialogue was less wooden than normal, the acting was (mostly) believable, and the slow-mo montages were kept to a minimum (for Lifetime movie standards, that is). Honestly, the most Lifetime-y moments were the occasional slow-mo and less-than-stellar green screen work.

Sure, there were the improbable moments, like when the parents of two minors who’d been declared dead didn’t get to reunite with their kids until there were plenty of news cameras present, or that a tan from three months on a desert island looks suspiciously like an overdose of bronzer.

But still — even the sex scenes were less cheesy (and slightly racier) than expected. By Lifetime movie standards, this thing was Oscar-worthy. The most disappointing moment was the ending. Really? One chaste kiss while standing in the rain for no apparent reason?

What did you think of “Blue Lagoon: The Awakening”? Were you as pleased by its lack of terribleness as we were?

Photo/Video credit: Lifetime

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