Honestly, if you grew up in the nineties, you probably remember the sheer saturation of the tropical romance genre. It was everywhere. But when people talk about wanting to watch Blue Lagoon 2—officially titled Return to the Blue Lagoon—they aren't usually looking for a cinematic masterpiece that rivals The Godfather. They’re looking for that very specific, sun-drenched, slightly controversial nostalgia that defined 1991.
It's a weird movie.
The sequel arrived over a decade after the Brooke Shields original, and it basically tried to catch lightning in a bottle twice by using almost the exact same plot. You have a young boy, Richard (played by a very young Brian Krause), who is the son of the couple from the first film. He ends up stranded on the same island with a girl named Lilli, played by Milla Jovovich in her first major starring role.
What Actually Happens When You Watch Blue Lagoon 2
Most people forget that the setup for this movie is actually pretty grim compared to the lush cinematography. A ship finds the lifeboat from the first movie. The original couple, Emmeline and Richard, are dead. Their toddler is alive. A woman on the ship, Sarah Hargrave, takes him in. Then, because the universe apparently hates these specific people, a cholera outbreak happens, and Sarah is forced into a lifeboat with her own daughter and the orphan boy. They end up right back where it all started.
It's a loop.
Director William A. Graham didn't try to reinvent the wheel here. He leaned heavily into the "coming of age in paradise" trope. The first half of the film is a survivalist drama where Sarah tries to maintain Victorian morals in a place with no walls. But then she passes away, and the kids are left to navigate puberty, attraction, and survival on their own.
If you decide to watch Blue Lagoon 2 now, the most striking thing isn't the romance. It’s the visuals. This was filmed in Taveuni, Fiji. The water is an impossible shade of cerulean. The greenery looks like it’s been hit with a saturation filter, but that’s just how Fiji looks. Cinematographer Robert Steadman captures a world that feels completely isolated from the grime of the early 90s.
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Milla Jovovich and the Beginning of a Career
You can't talk about this movie without talking about Milla Jovovich. She was only 15 during filming.
Looking back, her performance is surprisingly grounded for such a stylized movie. She has this wide-eyed curiosity that feels genuine, likely because she was actually a teenager experiencing a massive film set for the first time. While the film was panned by critics—getting hit with several Razzie nominations—it became a staple of cable television. That's why the search volume to watch Blue Lagoon 2 remains high; it’s a "lazy Sunday afternoon" movie that stuck in the collective memory of Gen X and Millennials.
Brian Krause, who later became a household name on Charmed, plays the wilder, more impulsive Richard. The chemistry between them is innocent, bordering on naive, which was the whole point of the script by Leslie Stevens. They were trying to explore "natural" human development without the constraints of society.
The Controversy and the Critical Backlash
Critics were brutal. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave it "thumbs down," with Ebert famously pointing out that the movie felt like a repetitive exercise. It currently holds a very low rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Why? Because it’s essentially a remake disguised as a sequel.
The beats are identical to the 1980 film:
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- Discovery of the island.
- The awkwardness of growing up.
- The arrival of "civilized" people who are actually the villains.
- The realization that paradise is better than the "real" world.
But here's the thing: movie critics in 1991 were looking for narrative innovation. Audiences looking to watch Blue Lagoon 2 in 2026 are usually looking for escapism. There is something deeply soothing about the lack of technology, the absence of "the grind," and the pure, if simplistic, romance of the story.
Where to Find and Watch Blue Lagoon 2 Right Now
Tracking down older Sony Pictures releases can be a bit of a hunt depending on which streaming service has the rights this month.
- Subscription Services: As of lately, it frequently cycles through platforms like Hulu or Netflix. It’s one of those titles that pops up for three months and then disappears.
- Digital Purchase: You can almost always find it on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, or Apple TV.
- Ad-Supported Streaming: Because it’s a cult classic but not a "prestige" film, it often ends up on Tubi or Pluto TV. Honestly, watching it with 90s-style commercial breaks almost adds to the nostalgic experience.
One thing to note: the "Unrated" version and the "PG-13" version exist. Most streaming platforms host the PG-13 cut, which was the standard theatrical release.
The Legacy of the Island
Is it a good movie? Not by traditional standards. The dialogue is often stiff. The pacing in the second act drags like a heavy anchor.
But it matters because it represents a specific era of filmmaking. It was a time when studios would spend millions of dollars to fly a crew to a remote island just to capture the way the sun hits a palm frond. There’s no CGI here. No green screens. When you see Krause and Jovovich swimming in the ocean, they are actually in the ocean.
That physical reality gives the film a weight that modern "paradise" movies often lack.
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Why People Keep Coming Back
It’s about the "what if."
What if you didn't have to pay rent? What if you never had to check an email? What if your only concern was whether the fish were biting or if the coconuts were ripe? That’s the psychological hook that keeps people searching to watch Blue Lagoon 2. It isn't the plot; it's the fantasy of total disconnection.
The film also serves as a time capsule for the early 90s "waif" aesthetic that Jovovich helped pioneer. It’s a fashion touchstone as much as it is a film.
Actionable Steps for the Best Viewing Experience
If you're going to dive back into this tropical time capsule, do it right.
- Check the resolution. Many older versions on YouTube are terrible 480p rips. Look for the high-definition Remastered version on platforms like Amazon; the Fiji scenery is wasted on grainy footage.
- Contextualize the "Villains." When the ship arrives in the final act, pay attention to the character of the Captain’s daughter. She represents the "civilization" that the movie is critiquing—stiff, judgmental, and ultimately unhappy.
- Double Feature it. If you really want the full experience, watch the 1980 Brooke Shields version first, then jump into Return to the Blue Lagoon. It makes the cyclical nature of the story much more apparent and honestly, a bit more haunting.
- Look for the Soundtrack. Basil Poledouris did the music for the first one, but Cliff Eidelman took over for the sequel. The score is actually quite lush and worth a listen on its own if you enjoy orchestral film music.
Don't go into this expecting a complex survival guide. You won't learn how to build a fire or navigate by the stars. But if you want to lose ninety minutes in a beautiful, blue world where the biggest problem is a jealous ship captain, then it’s time to finally sit down and watch Blue Lagoon 2. It’s flawed, it’s beautiful, and it’s exactly what 1991 felt like.
Check your local listings on VOD services like Google Play or YouTube Movies to see if it's available for rent in your region, as licensing for 90s Sony titles varies wildly by country. If you're a physical media collector, the Blu-ray release from Twilight Time is the gold standard, though it's often out of print and pricey on the secondary market. Most viewers will find the digital HD rental more than sufficient for a trip down memory lane.