Just Because: Brenton Thwaites

I always groan with remakes, with very few exceptions most pale in comparison to the original which inspires it. The Blue Lagoon was not epic cinema and certainly did not contain epic acting, but really that was never the intent. There was a magic in the original, mainly brought on by the incredible location, the simplicity of story and Randal Kleiser's choice of hiring Christopher Atkins as Richard. Although initial attention went to the then 15 year old Shields, it was Atkins, swimming naked in the waters surrounding Nanuya Levu Island in Fiji that sparked many a young fantasy.



It is a sure bet that the cast of Lifetime's new version of Lagoon will not be showing the skin Atkins did, but Australian actor Brenton Thwaites is certainly an appealing replacement. On the plus side, Atkins is back in a cameo, on the down side the producers also brought in Denise Richards which is usually a sign of imminent failure. Regardless, Thwaites on the beach is more than worthy of a Just Because post!