User reviews

The movie is not that bad and it is entertaining but it's not worth anticipating its just the kind of movie you watch on Netflix when you're bored and don't know what to watch

Nothing in this movie makes sense. the plot overly convoluted and filled with holes. the movie contradicts it's own rules. odd things happen that are never explained or brought up again. this movie is straight madness. and it wasn't a tiny bit scary. plus there were numerous parts where they telegraph what's about to happen. anyone who has seen movies before knows exactly what's coming next.

the only reason i didn't give it a one is because i found some entertainment value from it. there were one or two cool ideas. and there was one conversation between two soldiers that really worked for me (1 viewing, 7/1/2020)

Granted, I was lured in by the promise of the movie's poster, the fact that it was labeled as a horror movie, plus that Michael Peña and Maggie Q was on the cast list.

Little did I know what I was in for actually. Turns out that this movie was a mess of a storyline. The character gallery was for the most part a very flaccid and pointless one, to be bluntly honest. And that gave the actors and actresses very little to work with. And it didn't help that the storyline written by Jillian Jacobs, Christopher Roach and Jeff Wadlow seemed like they were individually told to write something on a concept without talking and sparring together. It was just a mess and a pain to sit through, literally.

Not even the performances of Michael Peña, Maggie Q or Michael Rooker could do much to lift up this train wreck of a movie.

I managed to sit through the movie in its entire length, but I must admit that my attention was failing the things that happened on the screen. The storyline was just way too clumsy and incoherent to catch my attention.

It should be said that some of the visuals in the movie were actually good, but that could only do so much to salvage the rest of the movie.

While I suffered through the entire movie, I can now check it off of my watched movie list and I know for a fact that I will never be returning to watch this 2020 movie again - ever.

My rating of "Fantasy Island" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars. And I put it on three solely because of Michael Peña and Maggie Q, truth be told.

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.

The imdb ratings here do not make this film justice. I believe that, like me, a lot of the viewers were intrigued by the promising beginning and severely disappointed by the really bad ending.

The story is about a group of strangers coming on a mysterious island where they are each promised to live their biggest fantasy. Here we get a sense of how confused were the makers of the movie: goofy comedy, akin to Scooby Doo, with dark and ominous hints, like a horror story, a distinct video game feel like the Jumanji reboots, but also the promise of emotional catharsis and a deeper lesson at the end. This could go in a variety of directions, some of them really good. Unfortunately the film continues to remain confused until the very beginning, where a completely artificial and nonsensical twist pretty much destroys every premise of the story.

Bottom line: the film was entertaining, the acting good, but the plot was a confused mess.

Never saw the original show but this was a nightmare of a film and I mean that in a bad way. A bit like KNIVES OUT in terms of set-up but then turning into a turgid mess with a lot of mystery, some random action scenes, and a lot of tiresome fantasy stuff. I didn't like the characters, didn't buy their motivations, and found the whole thing increasingly silly as it went on, a bit like LOST for the 2020s. The only good part was Michael Rooker's action man role.

I was hoping not to be bored with this movie, looking at the score of 4.6/10 but I was amazed. Mystery must be the genre, not horror. There is almost no horror inside but so many unexpected things. I believe that the idea is great and the hidden idea even better. This move deserve at least 7/10. Go watch it by yourself.

Why is it we keep having these tired and convoluted attempts to recreate great movies and series from yesteryear instead of creative and original attempts at something new; its very sad if this is the state of affairs and there are no writers left or directors who can make something great when there are so many possibilities in comics like 2000AD or Tornado or Starlord from the 80's if they cannot come up with original writers and forsake truly modern and creative directors like Neill Blomkamp directing shorts and commercials.

How was it possible in the 60,70,80's and even 90's we had original movies with good stories and direction from greats like Carpenter, Ridley and we end up with turgid efforts like this, it is very sad for the movie industry if this is what we are left with, very sad indeed.

The original was a classic and nobody could replace Ricardo Montalban or even Tattoo so why try?

Pointless remake with such a deeply contrived storyline that it beggars belief they thought audiences would fall for it. No just NO!

Oscar worthy? No. But, if you're in the mood for a nice, fun comedy, action, thriller... it is A-OK. Has a couple of twists. Keeps you wondering where its going. If the plot gets a little sketchy here and there, have some more popcorn and give it a bit!

I enjoyed it more than many higher rated, more pumped movies I've seen lately! Grab ya a bucket, a nice beverage and have a little fun with this one!

A group of guests arrive at the Fantasy Island, a paradisiacal tropical resort hosted by the mysterious Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña) and his staff, with the promise that their secret fantasies or dreams come true in the island. He interviews each new arrival to make clear that their fantasies just end when concluded and to confirm each wish. Gwen Olsen (Maggie Q) regrets the day she said no to the proposal of her boyfriend. Melanie Cole (Lucy Hale) seeks revenge on her high-school mate Sloane Maddison (Portia Doubleday). Patrick Sullivan (Austin Stowell) dreams on being a soldier like his father. The gay Brax Weaver (Jimmy O. Yang) and his brother J. D. Weaver (Ryan Hansen) just want to party. But soon they realize that there is a price to pay to the island for the wishes come true.

"Fantasy Island" is a highly entertaining fantasy film with good twists. The Metascore and the IMDb User Rating are ridiculous, misguiding the viewers. The plot is a combination of "The Twilight Zone" with the franchise "House" (1985) and not a horror movie. Fortunately, I did not read the reviews in IMDb and I look forward waiting for a sequel. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil: "A Ilha da Fantasia" ("The Fantasy Island")

The whole film just kind of seemed like why bother. The script was so lazy and boring. The acting was terrible and I don't know it just seemed like they could have done so much with this concept.

I have never watched the tv series so I don't really have reference or nostalgia for it however I did notice that they included some slight callbacks so that was kinda of nice?

It was just really basic and like disjointed and wonky.

I wouldn't bother watching it

You know Oscar season is well and truly over when a film like Fantasy Island is dropped into cinemas, ready to remind audiences that too much of a good thing is a bad thing. No, I'm not talking about the fantasies turned nightmares at the centre of the film, but rather the need for films like Fantasy Island to remind audiences what constitutes a good film to begin with.

At the top of that list should be a coherent storyline, something which Fantasy Island didn't seem able to budget into its meagre $7 million price-tag. What begins as a fun B-grade horror/thriller quickly descends into abject nonsense, with a last act that will either have you howling in laughter or utter disbelief... or both. It's like the studio decided to take the supernatural elements from Lost, but forgot to bring the nuance, depth or philosophical pretence that made that show (mostly) work. Or they just hired the guys who wrote Truth or Dare.

Full disclosure, I have never seen an episode of the same-titled 70's show upon which the film is based on. Maybe those who find the show a guilty pleasure will be more forgiving of the film's utter nonsense. But, if there's one thing they are less likely to forgive is the film's treatment of an iconic character. Contrary to reports, "Tattoo" is in the film, but after watching it you'd probably prefer he wasn't.

This movie is so convaluted. Is this a horror, a comedy, a drama or a revenge mystery? This movie is so laughably terrible! The acting is terribly bad, the dialogue is extremely bad and at times this movie wanted to flex its 'woke' muscles by inserting social commentary as well.

Their is no clear motivation of who is behind the evil, because it bounces back and fourth between what 'he wants' 'she wants' or what the owner of F. I. wants. At times it felt like it wanted to be an action movie and it carried different tones throughout the movie (which I think dragged and soul have been way shorter) and even during the second act it felt it wanted to be like 'Indiana Jones' and go on a mission to :destroy'the Island' The LACK of exposition really infuriates the audience watching because it makes it hard to follow.

Terrible movie. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is because of its amazing location shots and georgeous setting. They wasted Micheal Pena and Rookers character. Michael Penas character had a strange accent that disrupted the energy and took you out of the flow of the film.

Do yourself a favor and make sure to make your fantasy be to avoid this movie at all costs.

6/10 - despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, I was thoroughly entertained by the this off-the-walls BSC thriller even though I could have easily reduced a substantial amount of the runtime (unnecessary and dragged out storylines)

I rarely ever rate a movie below a 5/10 but, this movie was shockingly horrible. Seriously don't waste your time please.

If you're a fan of the series and except to watch something similar, something lighthearted, or if you expect seeing a little person playing Tattoo then you'll probably be disappointed. This movie has the same theme but there is a pinch of horror added to it, so if you're not open minded about that just skip it and watch something else. I did enjoy Fantasy Island, it's mindless entertainment, nothing to be taken too seriously. So I don't agree with the negative reviews, but I do agree it was sometimes a bit difficult to follow but overall it's worth a watch. The acting wasn't bad, the horror scenes were good enough for me, and the cinematography wasn't bad at all. After reading all those negative reviews and seeing the low rating it got I almost didn't watch it but now I'm glad I did.

I grew up in the age of Fantasy Island, Gilligan's Island, Love Boat era. While I'll admit I was partial to the latter two, I remembered, the plane boss the plane, and the immaculate gentleman in white welcoming guests to fantasy island. That out if the way, this was a fun movie, we enjoyed it from beginning to end. The negative reviews sound like want to be film critics. There is no deeper meaning or philosophy to take away from this movie, it's just fun. It's meant to be entertainment and it is. What would you say about Top Gun, Footloose, Legend, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Heavy Metal and Gremlins if they came out today? Those movies were not to convey a message but to entertain which they did. Not everything has to be an Oscar or teach you a life lesson. Rant over, I recommend this movie for no cussing, nudity, crudity, or senseless stupidity. So get your ice man to break the rules help a unicorn break the glass ceiling restore the balance beat the oppressors and don't eat after midnight.

Bad movie! Bad, bad...bad movie! Go to your room! Forever!

I don't know where to start. The convoluted attempt at anything close to a plot? The juvenile writing? The bad acting all around? The movie should not have been called Fantasy Island. It should have been called Clue. Cause no one involved had one.

However, I do credit it for a first in the life. As in the first time we in the audience had a conversation, with show of hands, just how bad an experience this was. It was like Lifetime and the CW had a baby. A horribly, disfigured baby.

Please spare yourself. Don't watch it. It's too late for me. But if I spared just one of you, maybe my sacrifice is worth it.

A collection of people are invited to an exclusive island. The owner offers them the opportunity for them to live out their fantasies but they quickly learn that things aren't as they seem.

I had low expectations for this film initially as it looked like a B-grade horror movie, at best. However, it showed some promise with the fantasies-within-reality layers and some other interesting themes, plus purely as a thriller.

Unfortunately, this was short-lived as it quickly degenerated into horror cliches and unravelled. The plot got sillier and sillier the more it went on, culminating in some ridiculous twists at the end, all of which were just twists for twists' sake. Very stupid.

Almost as galling was seeing Michael Pena ham it up as the owner, Mr Roarke. Very cringeworthy performance.

Avoid.

After a few dialogs the only thing you'll want is to run away from the theater. There's nothing to save from this movie except maybe Maggie Q. Don't know how I stayed until the end it was a torture !