Freaktana A Major Disappointment

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Rob_Taylor I don't know where to start. It's like they saw Blue Lagoon and someone said "Let's make a comedy version of this!" The dialogue is, at times, inane to the point of making you guffaw with laughter and the acting - Aames in particular - is painful to endure.Add in the comedy chimps (I only wish I were joking, sadly) and the terrible music (which varies from plinky-plonky comedy piano tunes to over-the-top "Danger Will Robinson!" theme.That said, this is mostly about naked bodies and there's plenty of that. There's even full frontal Chimpanzee nudity! There's little to recommend this film. Poor acting, and a poor script, along with the plethora of stupid on display, make this seem like it was intended to be light-hearted and aimed at kids. The nudity, however, is definitely not family friendly and aimed squarely at adults.And about the stupid...Things I learned from this movie, contrary to common sense: 1. When lost in the desert, don't despair! There are circus-trained chimps everywhere, and they will help you! 2. Seeing a chimp masturbate on screen is perfectly acceptable and funny. It's not at all disturbing, no, no, no! 3. Said chimps can mate and produce a monkey baby! 4. In the blink of an edit, having arrived at an oasis the scene before, you can build a house and a love swing covered with goat furs.5. In the blink of a following edit, having built a house and, apparently hunted goats successfully, our hero is seen unable to fire an arrow from his bow.6. After having shown you a chimp masturbating, it was apparently considered improper for the chimps to be naked, so they are dressed in tiny loincloths after that.SUMMARY: Sub-standard Blue Lagoon clone which irritates more than tittilates. Bad everything, really. Not worth the effort.

jbruceismay-1 As to the previous comment that the movie is not worth seeing, any movie showing a half-naked, young Phoebe Cates IS worth viewing, (at least for a straight male or gay female). Just get it on DD and fast forward through the boring parts.Admittedly, the story is silly and predictable. ALso, for me, I identify W. Aames with Charles in Charge, where he was the perpetual dummy. I realize it's just a role, but it's hard for me to see him as a woman's version of a sex symbol.But the story aside, the photography and surroundings are beautiful, as of course is P. Cates. And since most of us can now get movies for free from the local library, or virtually free from the usual sources, it's worth an hour, just don't have unrealistic expectations. (BTW, it's not as if Blue Lagoon was an artistic masterpiece either, just a little less silly than Paradise.

SilentOne92 Paradise stars Willie Aames as David and Phoebe Cates as Sarah. They play 2 teenagers who are traveling with their parents on a caravan to Damascas when their group is raided by a slave trader named "The Jackel" (Tuvia Tavi). Both Sarah's and David's parents are killed in the attack. This forces Sarah and David to escape through the desert with Sarah's family servant Geoffrey. David comes across an underground "paradise" in the desert with running streams, etc. Geoffrey becomes ill which leads to David and Sarah fending for themselves. Since both of their parents were Christians (who were actually on a pilgrimage) the kids are very innocent in the ways of sex, etc. which they discover. They are not of the woods though since the Jackel and other raiders are still out there. This is an OK movie which took its basic premise from the film "The Blue Lagoon" It is not the greatest film and the script and plot is somewhat laughable at times. Cates does a good job though as does Aames. One of the main attractions of the film though are the frequent nude scenes which shows her spectacular figure. If you liked The Blue Lagoon you will like this movie as it is slightly better made. If you are a fan of Phoebe Cates this is a must see.

Shari I liked this movie when I first saw it. It seems like a Blue Lagoon offspring, but it had it's own elements. I like the element of adventure when the Jackal is chasing them. I'm a sucker for movies about people falling in love without society's interference. The movie was more upfront about a teen's growing interest in sex. Sarah is intrigued by the pictures of naked men, which young chicks do as well for those who don't think so. It wasn't trying to be innocent like The Blue Lagoon. It was more upfront and real to me. This movie seriously kept it real, but it realized that alone would be lacking. The chases and the kidnapping were needed to push the movie along. I found the monkey absolutely adorable. Animals are often used in movies like these to almost guide the two people into the expected. Blue Lagoon had many animals having sex while the two kids were. It's a necessary element in a "paradise" or "adam and eve" type movie. They have no one else to teach them necessarily, so they take a look around. Other than that, Paradise was great and the ending was agreeable. Phoebe Cates was a really adorable girl and Willie Aames was an odd choice, but acted like you would expect any young actor in the 80's would...badly. They couldn't help it. The time called for it. All in all, it was a good film.