The same again … – review of the film “Fantasy Island”

In fact, it is rather moderately innovative and there is no doubt that it could be otherwise. Admittedly, the announcements of the film sounded interesting and I admit that they managed to catch my attention. I suspect that not only mine, but also a wider group of people. Imagine the surprise of viewers when it turned out that the film Fantasy Islandit’s just another generic, almost-like-horror movie. After all, how many times can you roll over the same topic? All those desolate, monstrous islands, mysterious disappearances or eccentric millionaires with strange ideas. After all, we get at least three movies based on similar themes every year. I don’t know if this is some form of Hollywood bingo played by local producers, but one thing is for sure – they should definitely give it up. Of course, I omit the fact that the film refers to the original with the same title, which was released in 1977. Perhaps it had made any impression at the time.

Anyway, at first glance, Fantasy Island made quite a good impression (although in retrospect it is difficult for me to clearly define why). Despite all the fictional cliché that poured out of the trailers, something made me genuinely want to see this movie. Maybe they were actors, maybe the general atmosphere, I don’t know. But I know that all the interest went to hell, because the screening dispelled all my doubts about the film. What else could you expect? The production was developed by Blumhouse studio, known for films of various quality, such as The Purge, Sinister , Paranormal Activity or Halloween.It was supervised by Jeff Wadlow, who did not have any spectacular achievements. Well, I guess I’ll just blame it on over-faith or just naivety.

Man kind of knew …

 What is Fantasy Island really about ? I believe that the title leaves no room for doubt, although it may evoke some ambiguous associations. Let me justify that the film is not about anything dirty, so if someone is counting on something dirty, they can forgive themselves right away. In fact, anyone who has any expectations for production should give it up. Don’t thank you, you’re welcome.

However, if you really want to see the Fantasy Islandhere’s what you can expect. Well, the eponymous island is inhabited by a mysterious businessman, Mr. Roarke (Michael Pena), fulfilling the innermost fantasies of the lucky ones who will end up on this piece of land by lot. This is due to the magical power of the island itself, also affecting its owner. This is where the heroes of the film appear, convinced that they are in paradise. In fact, of course, these are only appearances as they become part of the death game. I could not resist the last sentence, even though it sounds like the announcement of another mediocre “mega-hit” in Polsat. In fact, if you think about it, it is completely justified and you can see it from the very first minutes of the film, which in total reveal the whole not very sophisticated plot around the characters. The benevolent businessman turns out to be not that good, while the island turns out to be a prison, not a paradise. So the idyll in try flashes becomes a struggle to survive the nightmares served by the mysterious island. But to make it not so scary, the miserable heroes in the form of two party people (Ryan Hansen and Jimmy O. Yang), unfulfilled love (Maggie Q), not quite brave policeman (Austin Stowell) and a typical alternative (Lucy Hale) have a helper, i.e. lurking in the bushes detective (Michael Rooker), who fights Roarke and of course the island itself. Only zombies and luminous vampires are more clichéd, seriously. However, despite all this repetitive fictional pulp, there was one thing that I received quite positively, namely the alternative character, i.e. Melanie. In this case, the writers even tried to juxtapose her with several different events that made her an interesting, ambiguous, and at times even mysterious character. Besides, it is rather mediocre. The story of Roarke, whose authors tried to whitewash the topic related to his family, does not save the whole thing.

… But he was a little deluded after all

There is no doubt that the Fantasia Island is a poor film with the makings of an average screening at best. However, it also has some positive aspects, among which there are certainly photos. The island itself credibly gives the impression of a paradise on earth, even in spite of a few medium-sized locations, such as a system of underground labyrinths that looks like a fast-paced cardboard of plaster and gray paper. Sometimes it was even climatic, I have to admit. The problem, however, is that the sound had nothing to do with this climate, which is a pity. After all, there is no doubt that the right music and effects can build an amazing aura of horror in a movie. In this respect, the Island of Fantasyit presented nothing extraordinary, it was even not good enough.

This island is not very fancy

The production of the Blumhouse studio fits perfectly into his portfolio, as it is a generic and rather mediocre horror of a lower class. Wyspa Fantazji is a movie made to measure Monday’s “mega hits” in Polsat, i.e. repetitive guts with oil about everything and nothing. After the deceptive hopes of the announcements, not even the slightest trace is left. I do not recommend it, even in the surplus of free time. There are other activities that will allow us to much better fill it, like the game of pick-up sticks, or 1,000 crosses Jolka .

We would like to thank the Cinema City network for the opportunity to watch the film Wyspa Fantazji .