My search to find even a single redeeming quality of the movie came up empty.
It's beyond comprehension why a Blumhouse, a studio that has produced "Get Out" and the "Happy Death Day" films, continues to also lend its hand to atrocities like this predictably loathsome horror reimagining of the popular "Fantasy Island" TV series. Attaching the Blumhouse name to the project proved to a be a fatal mistake, which no one could have seen coming except everyone. I'm not sure there was really much juice to squeeze from this rotten fruit, but whatever there was, the filmmakers certainly made the least of it.
The lack of star power in the cast provides the first hint of the movie's pitiful quality. A startlingly overqualified Michael Pena stands out as the only exception. He plays the mysterious Mr. Roarke, the man running the island's resort. He's meant to be mysterious, at least. The big mystery to me is why Michael Pena agreed to be in the movie.
The guests on the Fantasy Island arrive as winners of contest, gifted a chance to live out their single most desired fantasy. Among the collection of annoying and moronic characters are two unfunny brothers whose veins run rich with alcohol and dimwittedness. They fantasize of having it all. Other guests include a late-blooming former social outcast who fantasizes about getting revenge on a junior high school bully, a career woman who regrets declining a past marriage proposal, and a cop who dreams of being in the army.
The story carries out much as expected, with Mr. Roarke giving warnings about their fantasies not panning out as they might expect, warnings the guests promptly ignore. The scenes in which the guests finally live their fantasies are not scary nor funny nor interesting in any way. Each story attempts to strike a jarringly different tone, which makes the movie feel a handful of separate stories that are haphazardly slapped together.
None of the story seems fully realized or even partially realized. Saying this script feels like a first draft would be generous - it's more like a few scribbled notes that were never once proofread.
After each fantasy takes a dark turn, there isn't much more that happens. The story doesn't advance in any meaningful way, never gaining momentum. Every few minutes a new scene will come to a grinding halt as a different character pukes exposition to let viewers know why things are happening. It's an offensive violation of the "show don't tell" rule of writing.
Of course, the writers save the worst for last. A third act plot twist comes out of left field and makes absolutely no sense when held to the slightest bit of scrutiny. The rest of the plot, which was already dangling by a single thread of coherence, is completely invalidated by the big reveal. Don't waste your time trying to figure out this movie if you've already seen it. Just cut your losses and move on. If you haven't seen it, don't. I urge you, don't.
It's beyond comprehension why a Blumhouse, a studio that has produced "Get Out" and the "Happy Death Day" films, continues to also lend its hand to atrocities like this predictably loathsome horror reimagining of the popular "Fantasy Island" TV series. Attaching the Blumhouse name to the project proved to a be a fatal mistake, which no one could have seen coming except everyone. I'm not sure there was really much juice to squeeze from this rotten fruit, but whatever there was, the filmmakers certainly made the least of it.
The lack of star power in the cast provides the first hint of the movie's pitiful quality. A startlingly overqualified Michael Pena stands out as the only exception. He plays the mysterious Mr. Roarke, the man running the island's resort. He's meant to be mysterious, at least. The big mystery to me is why Michael Pena agreed to be in the movie.
The guests on the Fantasy Island arrive as winners of contest, gifted a chance to live out their single most desired fantasy. Among the collection of annoying and moronic characters are two unfunny brothers whose veins run rich with alcohol and dimwittedness. They fantasize of having it all. Other guests include a late-blooming former social outcast who fantasizes about getting revenge on a junior high school bully, a career woman who regrets declining a past marriage proposal, and a cop who dreams of being in the army.
The story carries out much as expected, with Mr. Roarke giving warnings about their fantasies not panning out as they might expect, warnings the guests promptly ignore. The scenes in which the guests finally live their fantasies are not scary nor funny nor interesting in any way. Each story attempts to strike a jarringly different tone, which makes the movie feel a handful of separate stories that are haphazardly slapped together.
None of the story seems fully realized or even partially realized. Saying this script feels like a first draft would be generous - it's more like a few scribbled notes that were never once proofread.
After each fantasy takes a dark turn, there isn't much more that happens. The story doesn't advance in any meaningful way, never gaining momentum. Every few minutes a new scene will come to a grinding halt as a different character pukes exposition to let viewers know why things are happening. It's an offensive violation of the "show don't tell" rule of writing.
Of course, the writers save the worst for last. A third act plot twist comes out of left field and makes absolutely no sense when held to the slightest bit of scrutiny. The rest of the plot, which was already dangling by a single thread of coherence, is completely invalidated by the big reveal. Don't waste your time trying to figure out this movie if you've already seen it. Just cut your losses and move on. If you haven't seen it, don't. I urge you, don't.