History YMMV / TheBlueLagoon

** Richard and Emmeline's child Paddy accidentally swallowing some of the poisonous berries he brought with them, and being unable to get him to vomit them up, they both decide to join their son in death by swallowing some of the same poisonous berries too.

* MainstreamObscurity: The movie is rarely aired on TV, due to its controversial content about underage nudity and sex, which can be seen as inappropriate, especially in the #MeToo era's focus on consent and sexual exploitation.

* {{Narm}}: It can sometimes be very difficult to take the children's quarrels seriously, as well as the behavior of the main characters being portrayed as innocent, though they are physically mature teenagers. Events being unrealistically idealized can also become difficult to accept. The point of the book, however, was that even after they mate and have a son, they remain innocent, due to their environment.

* HardToAdaptWork: The novel's enduring appeal lies in its exploration of human resilience, the discovery of love, and the ingenuity required to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. However, adapting the novel to other media presents challenges. Retaining the delicate balance between the innocence of the young protagonists and the mature themes of their experiences proves difficult, as does maintaining the novel's immersive and evocative portrayal of the idyllic island setting. Striking the right tone while honoring the novel's charm and depth can be a delicate task, making the adaptation process a considerable endeavor. The 1980 film adaptation is the one that gets closest, for better or for worse.

** Apparently, the film is very popular among young Romanian men. Hmmm....

* {{Squick}}: The erotic content of the film, dedicated to a [[KissingCousins tabooed relationship]], was the main reason why critics reviled the film.

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: Today, it is difficult to understand why audiences considered the 1980 film so scandalous, shocking and almost pornographic when it first came out. However, sensual portrayal of sex between teenagers was completely new at the time -- not to mention the nudity of the actors, with actress Creator/BrookeShields being only about ''14 or 15'' at the time, requiring the usage of body doubles (Christopher Atkins was a completely legal 18 or 19).

* AwardSnub: It received no UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations.

* CultClassic: Despite the hatred of critics and the passage of a lot of time, this film is still a classic of romance for many. In addition, it seems that it is popular with some people because of IncestYayShipping, although neither the book nor the movie has ever had any special emphasis on it. (It was written and takes place in Victorian times, when [[KissingCousins marrying your first cousin]] was ok).

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Today, it is difficult to understand why audiences considered the 1980 film so scandalous, shocking and almost pornographic when it first came out. However, sensual portrayal of sex between teenagers was completely new at the time -- not to mention the nudity of the actors, with actress Creator/BrookeShields being only about ''14 or 15'' at the time, requiring the usage of body doubles (Christopher Atkins was a completely legal 18 or 19).

* FirstInstallmentWins: The first book was the only one to get movie and theater treatments, and not everyone knows the writer had more stories to tell.

* HardToAdaptWork: The novel's enduring appeal lies in its exploration of human resilience, the discovery of love, and the ingenuity required to adapt to an unfamiliar environment. However, adapting the novel to other media presents challenges. Retaining the delicate balance between the innocence of the young protagonists and the mature themes of their experiences proves difficult, as does maintaining the novel's immersive and evocative portrayal of the idyllic island setting. Striking the right tone while honoring the novel's charm and depth can be a delicate task, making the adaptation process a considerable endeavor.

* The BeachKiss between Creator/BurtLancaster's Sgt. Warden and Creator/DeborahKerr's Karen Holmes in the 1953 film ''Literature/FromHereToEternity'' [[TropeCodifier which everyone has mimicked or spoofed]] was actually an allusion to a similar scene between Creator/JeanSimmons' Emmeline Foster and Creator/DonaldHouston's Michael Reynolds.

* FirstInstallmentWins: The first book was the only one to get a movie treatment, and not everyone knows the writer had more stories to tell.
* {{Glurge}}: It glorifies the advantage of innocent life in nature over life in civilization while also keeping silent that, at some point, their son would have to bury both parents and stay on the island alone. Not to mention that any of them could die even earlier because of some tropical illness, while they do not even have the slightest medication, or that their son, as the child of two close relatives, could have been born with some kind of weakness that made life on a desert island dangerous. However, the book does make clear that the island may appear to be a smiling paradise but can turn brutal in an instant. The hurricane is nightmarish. And Emmeline is aware of this from the outset and always remains a bit wary.

** Richard and Emmeline's tearful last kiss, thinking they're going to die together along with their son [[spoiler: Averted, since they all survived anyway but still...]].

* FirstInstallmentWins: To both series but for different reasons. The first book was the only one to get a movie treatment, and not everyone knows the writer had more stories to tell. Likewise the film sequels just kind of trigger {{Sequelitis}} as not being as well-liked as the first.
* {{Glurge}}: The original work and the films glorify the advantage of innocent life in nature over life in civilization, while also keeping silent that at some point their son would have to bury both parents and stay on the island alone. Not to mention that any of them could die even earlier because of some tropical illness, while they do not even have the slightest medication, or that their son as a child of two close relatives could have been born with some kind of weakness that made life on a desert island dangerous. However, the book ''does'' make clear that the island may ''appear'' to be a smiling paradise, but can turn brutal in an instant. The hurricane, which is not shown in the film, is nightmarish. And Emmeline is aware of this from the outset and always remains a bit wary.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Both the novel and its 1949 film version have been displaced by the novel's [[Film/{{The Blue Lagoon|1980}} 1980 film version]].

* AdaptationDisplacement: Unless you're living in a territory where English is the primary language, ''The Blue Lagoon'' is perhaps more known today as a Brooke Shields movie, which completely overshadows the reputation of the 1908 novel that it was based on, plus two film adaptations (from 1923 and 1949 respectively) which preceded it.

** The blood dripping down the sacrificial "God" shrine Emmeline discovers in the forests. (In the book this shrine is long abandoned and it's where Em and Richard first make love. The "stone man" gets knocked over in the hurricane.)
** Richard stumbling upon some of the island natives preparing an island sacrificial ritual with an enemy's head chopped off and blood spilling, prompting Richard to run off and look for the pregnant Emmeline who has gone missing. (This combines two episodes in the book, where Richard discovers the scene of a battle on the shore after it's all over and tries to describe it to Em, and later when Em leaves and he tries to find her.)

* HarsherInHindsight: When the movie was being shot, director Randal Kleiser marveled at how Brooke Shields was "going from a child to a woman" right in front of the cameras. In the 2023 documentary ''Pretty Baby'', Shields recalls this as him trying to sell her sexual awakening, as if she was in a reality show, despite her not even being in touch with her own sexuality due to growing up in a Catholic household that [[SexIsEvil tied sex to guilt and shame]]. It is suggested that Shields was enforced to star in the film without her consent.

[[folder:As A Whole]]

* AdaptationDisplacement: Unless you're living in a territory where English is the primary language, ''The Blue Lagoon'' is perhaps more known today as a Brooke Shields movie, which completely overshadows the reputation of the 1908 novel that it was based on, plus two film adaptations (from 1923 and 1949 respectively) which preceded it.
* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Critics (especially Creator/PaulineKael) called the film repulsive because they felt the movie was devoted to watching the sexual experiences of half-naked teenagers. The similarity of this film with erotica about the relationship between cousins also doesn't help.
* AudienceColoringAdaptation: People familiar with the novel had to contend with the negative critical reception the 1980 film had upon release. The novel indicates that Dick and Emmeline were both about sixteen or seventeen when they consummated their love and she had Hannah about a year later. Creator/BrookeShields was about fourteen when she played Em at the time of filming; Christopher Atkins was eighteen. Also, Emmeline's age was downgraded from 16-17 when she gave birth to their baby to around 14-15, a change probably caused by ExecutiveMeddling.
* BestKnownForTheFanservice: That the leading actors spend most of the film partly nude seems to be much better remembered than the storyline.
* CriticalDissonance: As already mentioned here, the film was extremely negatively received by critics; Creator/RogerEbert put the film on his "Most Hated Film List", and said it "made [him] itch" in his original review for it. However, this did not stop it from doing well at the box office and even now is considered a pretty sweet melodrama about first love.
* CultClassic: Despite the hatred of critics and the passage of a lot of time, this film is still a classic of romance for many. In addition, it seems that it is popular with some people because of IncestYayShipping, although neither the book nor the movie has ever had any special emphasis on it. (It was written and takes place in Victorian times, when [[KissingCousins marrying your first cousin]] was ok).
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The story can be interpreted as a sort of reverse {{Adam and Eve Plot}}. Two children are cast out from civilization and end up in an idyllic tropical island. Their closest equivalent to a parental figure forbids them from eating a certain fruit and gives them rules, justifying his authority by saying his word is law. The children spend the next few years abiding by the 'law', not eating the fruit. Their innocence is therefore not lost during this period, even as they mate and have a son inside paradise. However, it's this same son who eventually casts them out of the island, even after they refused to return to civilization twice. After picking and supposedly eating the forbidden fruit, the son throws away their means of transportation and leaves them stranded at sea. Believing their son will die because he ate the fruit, the children are {{Driven to Suicide}} and eat the fruit as well... And only after they do, a boat finally finds them to return them to civilization.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
** Apparently, the film is very popular among young Romanian men. Hmmm....
** Also in Brazil, but leaning more towards MemeticMutation status, due to [[AdoredByTheNetwork severe overplay by its biggest network]].
** The 1980 film adaptation is also unironically regarded in Hungary as one of the best classic movies of all time. Seems to have gained a lot of popularity in ex-Communist European countries, in particular, the remake was quite popular in Russia in the 90s as a "Paradise Hollywood love story."
* {{Glurge}}: The original work and the film glorify the advantage of innocent life in nature over life in civilization, while also keeping silent that at some point their son would have to bury both parents and stay on the island alone. Not to mention that any of them could die even earlier because of some tropical illness, while they do not even have the slightest medication, or that their son as a child of two close relatives could have been born with some kind of weakness that made life on a desert island dangerous. However, the book ''does'' make clear that the island may ''appear'' to be a smiling paradise, but can turn brutal in an instant. The hurricane, which is not shown in the film, is nightmarish. And Emmeline is aware of this from the outset and always remains a bit wary.

* HarsherInHindsight: When the movie was being produced, director Randal Kleiser marveled at how Brooke Shields was "going from a child to a woman" right in front of the cameras. In the 2023 documentary ''Pretty Baby'', Shields recalls this as him trying to sell her sexual awakening, as if she was in a reality show, despite her not even being in touch with her own sexuality due to growing up in a Catholic household that [[SexIsEvil tied sex to guilt and shame]]. It is suggested that Shields was enforced to star in the film without her consent.

* MemeticMutation: In Brazil, the amount of overplay this movie gets from some of the most popular networks there caused the movie to go into this.
* {{Narm}}: It can sometimes be very difficult to take the children's quarrels seriously, as well as the behavior of the main characters being portrayed as innocent, though they are physically mature teenagers. Events being unrealistically idealized can also become difficult to accept. The point of the book, however, was that even after they mate and have a son, they remain innocent, due to their environment.
* NightmareFuel: Richard and Emmeline finding Paddy's dead body with a crab coming out of his decomposed mouth when they were children,

* {{Squick}}: The erotic content of the film, dedicated to a [[KissingCousins tabooed relationship]], was the main reason why critics reviled the film.
* {{Sequelitis}}: The sequel, which is [[SamePlotSequel more of a remake]], came out after ten years with Creator/MillaJovovich in the title role and was completely crushed by critics, failing at the box office due to the almost verbatim quoting of the original film.
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Today, it is difficult to understand why audiences considered the 1980 film so scandalous, shocking and almost pornographic when it first came out. However, sensual portrayal of sex between teenagers was completely new at the time -- not to mention the nudity of the actors, with actress Creator/BrookeShields being only about ''14 or 15'' at the time, requiring the usage of body doubles (Christopher Atkins was a completely legal 18 or 19).
* TearJerker: Richard and Emmeline being separated from their uncle Arthur when they're just children.

* AudienceColoringAdaptation: People familiar with the novel had to contend with the negative critical reception the 1980 film had upon release. The novel indicates that Dick and Emmeline were both about sixteen or seventeen when they consummated their love and she had Hannah about a year later. Creator/BrookeShields was about fourteen when she played Em when filming the 1980 film version; Christopher Atkins was eighteen. Also, Emmeline's age was downgraded from 16-17 when she gave birth to their baby to around 14-15, a change probably caused by ExecutiveMeddling.

* AudienceColoringAdaptation: People familiar with the novel had to contend with the negative critical reception the 1980 film had upon release. The novel indicates that Dick and Emmeline were both about sixteen or seventeen when they consummated their love and she had Hannah about a year later. Creator/BrookeShields was about fourteen when she played Em when filming the 1980 film version; Christopher Atkins was eighteen. Also, Emmeline's age was downgraded from 16-17 when she gave birth to their baby to around 14-15, probably caused by ExecutiveMeddling.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Critics (especially Creator/PaulineKael) called the film repulsive because they felt the movie was devoted to watching the sexual experiences of half-naked teenagers. The similarity of this film with eroticas about the relationship between cousins also doesn't help.