If your ultimate fantasy is an excellent movie that will captivate your imagination, then “Fantasy Island” will leave you woefully disappointed. The newest film by Jeff Wadlow (“Truth or Dare”), “Fantasy Island,” is a movie with substantial potential but shoddy payoffs. An adaptation of the 1970’s television series of the same name, it also stumbles at revamping its source material for a new generation, succumbing to lazy attempts at emulating tired horror movie trends and The CW network antics. To put it bluntly, this new undertaking by Blumhouse Productions is as scary as the 2002 “Scooby-Doo” movie with enough unintentional laughs to boot.
“Fantasy Island’s” biggest strength lies within its premise. Five people win a contest to visit Fantasy Island, a tropical paradise where fantasies apparently come true. The island is curated by the mysterious Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña, “Jexi”) who warns guests that they must see their fantasies to their proper conclusion or face unforeseen consequences. As expected, twists and turns follow as each guest’s fantasies go haywire.
The first act of “Fantasy Island” is an intriguing mix of mystery and suspense in regards to the supernatural presence of the island itself. Comparatively, it shares traits with ABC’s hit drama “Lost,” as well the 1997 thriller film, “The Game.” Unraveling the mystery of Fantasy Island is this film’s greatest asset, but as the 110-minute feature prattles on, that mystery becomes more convoluted and even more ridiculous.
The idea of a person’s fantasies coming true and then backfiring is an interesting concept, but “Fantasy Island” squanders this idea with annoying characters and nonsensical conclusions. Take for instance the fantasy of stepbrothers JD (Ryan Hansen, “Like a Boss”) and Brax Weaver (Jimmy O. Yang, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”) who fantasize of “having it all,” complete with a gaudy mansion and gorgeous super models. The potential is there for an interesting twist for these two to receive their comeuppance, but the twist presented is less supernatural and more akin to a mediocre crime movie. Likewise, the performances of Hansen and Yang come off as nothing more than irritating, pop culture reference spitting, frat brothers than characters to feel enamored with. While they are the comic relief, the only relief that comes is when these two are off screen.
The film also has a hard time deciding on what it wants to be. The poster and marketing would make you believe this was a horror movie but that is far from the truth. “Fantasy Island” has horror elements to be sure, but the PG-13 rating assures nothing beyond a few jump scares and creepy imagery. “X-Files” episodes from the 1990s had more intensity. In the end, expect a thriller that’s as thrilling as a traffic jam.
Despite it all, “Fantasy Island” is still entertaining, but not in the way the studio probably intended. The film is so ridiculous and nonsensical viewers cannot help but marvel at the complete ineptitude on screen. The screenplay is full of so much exposition that this movie should be renamed “Explanation Island.” The climax is loaded with so many underwhelming twists that give M. Night Shyamalan (“Glass”) movies a run for their money. The list goes on and on.
“Fantasy Island” is a movie that starts off promising but utterly collapses into an entertaining rubble of debris that may entertain or leave you in a state of bewilderment. Needless to say, “Fantasy Island” may be a bad movie, but its sense of terribleness makes it marginally fun for those who do not take it too seriously.
Image from Paramount Pictures via YouTube
