Fantasy Island Movie Review
Fantasy Island reminds you of Jumanji. A group of strangers undergo rather fantastical series of events in order to stay alive. It also has shades of Agatha Christie's classic, And Then There Were None. Also of Lost. One should also bear in mind that it's the official adaptation of a popular American series from the '70s going by the same name. The series had a mysterious host inviting a set number of guests. Each guest underwent a personal fantasy, which invariably took a life of its own and imparted a life lesson to the participant as well as to the viewers. The tales were quirky, dark, twisted and were always true to the adage that you should be careful about what you wish for.
Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña) invites Gwen Olsen (Maggie Q), Melanie Cole (Lucy Hale), Patrick Sullivan (Austin Stowell), Brax (Jimmy O. Yang) and JD (Ryan Hansen) to the fantasy island for a once in a lifetime experience. Each choses a different fantasy, thinking it all a game. Brothers Brax and JD just want to have a good time, Gwen regrets saying no to getting engaged and wants to change that, while Melanie wants a chance at getting even with a childhood bully. Patrick wants to enlist in the army, just like his dad. Each gets exactly what they wish for. But when things spiral out of control and fantasy starts turning real, they all start thinking they were better off without that particular wish.
Things look interesting for a while. You do want to know how the wishes get played out. But as the film progresses and the storylines kind of start merging, the writing worsens. It's as if the director and his team of writers, being unsure of what to do next, were picking chits at random from a hat. The thrills we were promised in what was hyped as a darker, horror reboot of the original series just don't land. The setting as well as the premise lent itself to so much scope for all kinds of mayhem but they are underutilised. And then a surprise twist is added in the end in a bid to be extra clever but it borders on the ludicrous and doesn't deliver the intended punch.
It isn't explained how the mysterious forces work their magic at the island. The place might be Purgatory but nothing concrete is spelt out for the viewers. Random characters, like something from a video game, keep popping up, adding to the illusion that none of it is real. Everyone has a backstory but not enough input is given to us to emotionally invest in the viewers. The actors deliver what the script demands but none of the performances stand out.
Sometimes, you feel unsatisfied even after eating a full meal because ingredient X is missing. That's exactly the problem with this film as well. The elusive X-factor is just isn't there...
Trailer : Fantasy Island
Pallabi Dey Purkayastha, February 13, 2020, 10:31 PM IST
STORY: When a mysterious resort in Hawaii floats out an invite to host guests with the promise that the stake holders will fulfil their wishes – a group of Americans quickly fill in the form and jump on the next jet plane for a weekend that would end up changing their lives.
REVIEW: Hailing from different walks of life and with a very diverse set of desires waiting to be fulfilled, a bunch of hopefuls – Gwen (Maggie Q), Melanie (Lucy Hale), Sonja (Portia Doubleday), Bradley (Ryan Hansen), Brax (Jimmy O. Yang) and Patrick (Austin Stowell) – embark on a journey to pay a visit to the resort that promises to grant one’s deepest fantasy under the watch of its suspicious character of a manager – Roarke (Michael Peña). But, the catch is that each person gets to realise only one dream and there is no stopping the cycle until ‘that fantasy reaches its conclusion’.
The concept of a modern-day genie seated in a posh resort, willing to reduce the burden of your regrets, sounds more than appealing in theory and the first 15 minutes do seem like ‘Fantasy Island’ has all the makings of a promising thriller/horror/adventure movie. But, in reality, that initial curiosity (conjured up by some witty writing) fizzles out soon after and is swiftly replaced by perplexity and a sense of directionlessness – who is in who’s fantasy and why, among other questions, start to crop up.
Producer-director Jeff Wadlow has tried to intertwine the life stories and dreams and desires of all his characters, but the transition is craggy, which makes room for discrepancies that are glaring and often leaves one in a state of utter confusion; defies logic even by fantasy standards. The plotline starts off as a horror mystery, navigates through the lanes of thriller, brushes its arms against fantasy, and winds up being an insipid mish-mash of all the three aforementioned themes.
Ryan Hansen and Jimmy O. Yang as biracial half-brothers are hilarious and their bromance on screen seems real and is quite frankly the highlight of this otherwise lacklustre film. Lucy Hale, as the bullied kid with newfound (unabashed) confidence, looks glamorous but fails to come across as a tormented soul stuck in high school. Likewise, Maggie Q, Portia Doubleday, Michael Peña and Austin Stowell do their bit well but all thanks to a half-baked script, coupled with weak direction and some feeble background score – ‘Fantasy Island’ is beyond saving.
‘Fantasy Island’ did have an optimistic tale to tell, but it ends up being a shoddy affair.
