When I first heard that they were going to be making a movie
of the long running TV series that was so popular when it aired on TV I had
reservations. How could they recreate the series in a single film? Then I heard
they were going to change it up and make it more of a horror offering. For me
that cinched it, this film could not be any good. Fortunately I was wrong. It’s
a blast.
The film opens with a woman on the run in the jungle, hiding
in a house where she is soon captured. It quickly changes gears and much as the
series did we see a sea plane landing on a mysterious island in the Pacific as
a watchful eye sees them land. This is Julia (Parisa Fitz-Henley) who runs and
alerts the man in charge, Mr. Roarke (Michael Pena). The occupants of the plane
are Gwen Olsen (Maggie Q), Patrick Sullivan (Austin Stowell), step-brothers J.
D. (Ryan Hansen) and Brax Weaver (Jimmy O. Yang), and Melanie Cole (Lucy Hale).
The group are all winners of a special vacation, a trip to
Fantasy Island where all of their dreams will come true. Greeted by Julia she
tells them she is his assistant and he will meet them later. She escorts them
to the main house and has the staff show them to their rooms along with their
luggage.
That is except for J.D. and Brax. Instead of a room Roarke
meets with them and escorts them to a different part of the island, informing
them that their fantasy has already begun. As they come out of the jungle they
find a hidden oasis, a fancy house and a huge pool filled with glamorous women
and men. It turns out J.D. is there for the models and Brax is gay. Both have
their dreams come true as the party gets started with them in control.
Roarke meets with the other guests and tells them that their
fantasies will begin after they get a good night’s rest. The next day we learn
what each of them had in mind. Gwen wanted another chance to change her lift
and redo her greatest regret, turning down a marriage proposal and living a
life with the man she loved, having children. Patrick wants to be a soldier
like his deceased hero father. Melanie wants revenge on the girl that tormented
her throughout high school.
Each one of these individuals has their fantasy come true.
But not quite as they expected. Gwen still questions her choice. Patrick is
reunited with his deceased father on the mission that he died on. Melanie has
the chance to literally torture her tormentor but has second thoughts when a
murderer enters the picture. And J.D. and Brax discover that their dream home
was actually owned by a drug runner who has returned to reclaim his home.
This pattern follows the map left by the original series but
it soon becomes different when the characters find themselves crossing over
into each other’s fantasies. By doing so it enhances the film and makes it much
more fun. Just why are their fantasies combining? How far will their fantasies
go? Does the island have the ability to bring them back to life if they die
during their fantasies? And why is it that Roarke does what he does? What is
the secret of the island?
All of these questions are answered by the end of the film.
The story is far deeper and involved than one would expect from a film like
this. It holds your interest from start to finish and runs the gamut of
emotions from thrilling action to deep emotional turmoil. Even though the film
is pure exploitation it carries enough weight to make it better than the
concept used behind it.
All of the actors do a fantastic job here. Perhaps standing
out are Maggie Q. as Gwen showing a depth of character many of her action roles
have not allowed her to do. After this film I look forward to seeing her in
more movies. Michael Pena also does a fantastic job here. It seems with each
role he takes on his abilities become stronger and he too is someone whose name
in the credits will most likely be a draw for me in the future.
Potential spoiler: The film does leave an opening for a
sequel. Second films are often difficult to carry off with enough surprises to
match the first film. I for one would like to see another film, to see this
turn into a franchise. But the box office results were not that huge, in part
because it came out just as the coronavirus pandemic began. In spite of that
the film did make $47 million on a $7 million budget so who knows. Perhaps we
will see the mysterious Mr. Roarke once more. Until then this is one that movie
that’s a lot of fun, entertaining and worth watching.
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