Welcome to Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island movie 2020 review.
A place where all your dreams come true but sadly this particular fantasy turns into a nightmare much quicker than expected!
Fantasy Island Movie 2020 Review
Another day, another reboot as the fantasy drama TV series Fantasy Island gets a horror movie spinoff.
From the writer/director behind Final Destination and Truth or Dare comes this latest Blumhouse horror installment. Truth or Dare was a terrible movie so I was hoping and praying this film would step out from the shadows of that horrifically poor affair. For the most part, it did not.
Five people win a contest to a beautiful remote island where one fantasy per guest comes true. The island holds magical powers and its custodian Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña) orchestrates the wishes per the client’s demand but there are rules.
- You only get one fantasy granted
- You must fulfill that fantasy to its natural conclusion
This second rule confused everyone (me included) but we soon find out not is all as it seems as these fantasies come with deadly consequences.
As a movie idea, the concept is pretty incredible. You have this magical island that can grant wishes that turn deadly. Distorting and twisting the very fantasy you had in mind.
Whilst Fantasy Island nails the visuals it sadly lacks with unlikeable characters and a terrible script.
That very same script spirals out of control after a rather engaging and engrossing opening 30 minutes.
Packed full of clichéd dialogue we explore each individual wish one by one as they slowly distort into chaos. Our only likable characters here are brothers Brax (Jimmy O. Yang) and J.D (Ryan Hansen) who are hilarious with their one-liners and brotherly ‘American Pie’ attitude to life.
Sadly a PG-13 rating confined this movie to a rather dull and plain affair. Imagine for a second if Fantasy Island was R-Rated as we got to explore the more intimate fantasies of our characters. Not necessarily rude fantasies either but an age-restriction certainly limits the film beyond its poor convoluted script.
Blumhouse made the movie for $7 million and it’s already flown past that benchmark with a $45 worldwide gross so far.
The studio certainly knows how to make a profit. One thing they haven’t quite got the formula correct for is consistently good horror movies.
Making one movie with two poor ones consequently after seems to be the Blumhouse sequence of horror slate releases so far.
Overall
Whilst it looks the part sadly it doesn’t feel the part and the third act completely trails off into insanity with a final scene that left me so confused I thought I’d been plunged into a sci-fi movie.
It’s quite sloppy in places and if I had one fantasy, I’d wish for this to be a better movie.
Fantasy Island movie 2020 Review by Sean Evans
Rating
Summary
So many great ideas have been left behind in this horrifically scripted mess.
So beautifully shot and with a promising opening 30 minutes you feel as thou you’re in for a treat.
Suddenly your very own fantasy viewing of this movie turns into an utter nightmare as it unravels horrendously
