Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Fantasy Island Blu-ray Movie Review

The Pain! The Pain!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 18, 2020

The Fantasy Island franchise began life on television in the 1970s and lives on today, decades later, in Blumhouse's modern-set "prequel" with a play-it-safe Horror twist. The film, also titled Fantasy Island, explores the fleeting joys and the terrible consequences of rearranging life into a supposedly ideal vision of it, erasing mistakes only to replace them with new and oftentimes more damaging ones, amplifying desires only to find that they're not particularly desirable after all. It's not at all a bad idea for a Horror movie, though it might have worked better as a standalone away from the dated TV show and with more visual and psychological teeth pushing the envelope. At times tolerable and at times terrible, the film lives for the twists at the expense of characterization and reasons to care, culminating in a too-busy third act that does away with any of the modest good graces born of a few interesting concepts and a couple of passable performances.

Several contest winners arrive by plane at the mysterious Fantasy Island, a place where “anything and everything is possible.” It’s operated by the enigmatic “Mr. Roarke” (Michael Peña) who promises that dreams will come true -- at a price. “Only the island knows” how they will play out, and rarely do they play out as expected, but play out they will to their natural conclusion, whether that be to the guest’s preconceived expectations or otherwise. The arrivals include Gwen (Maggie Q) who laments a missed opportunity to build a family with the man of her dreams; Patrick (Austin Stowell), a young man who dreams of being a soldier and following in his late father’s footsteps; Melanie (Lucy Hale), a young lady who wishes to exact revenge on her high school tormentor; and step bothers J.D. (Ryan Hansen) and Brax (Jimmy O. Yang) who simply hope to find carnal pleasures galore. Little do they know that their fantasies are about to become dangerous, deadly realities with far greater connectivity and consequence than they could have ever imagined.

If there's a problem with Fantasy Island, it's the inability, or unwillingness, to separate a great concept from lame genre constructs. The film begins inauspiciously, with the modern-day damsel in distress running through the jungle only to be captured by her pursuers in a sequence straight out of Horror 101, the only difference being she's not chased by an unkillable maniac but rather a few darkly dressed men with guns. As the story unfolds, it reveals a positive, alluring concept but mistakingly populates the tale with dull characters whose fantasies become reality become nightmare. Beyond only one -- Maggie Q's Gwen -- there's little incentive to care about them. They're flat, laboriously constructed, and the cast cannot find any real depth in which to expand upon them because none exists. There's some deep revealed interplay that the third act puts together in slow motion, but none of it really matters. The moving parts are too many, the characters too bland to matter, and the outcomes too complex when nothing else really moves in the right direction.

The movie does offer at least the promise of something of dramatic worth and its ability to play around the periphery of its good ideas endears it just enough to hold interest, at least until later in the story. There’s an interesting dichotomy in play that concerns fact versus fantasy, truth versus lies, reality versus imagination. What would life be like with a second chance, with the proverbial wave of a magic wand to reset or reassess for those more inclined to “set things right?” The problem is that some of the stories are hopelessly generic, lacking spirit and interfering with the meatier tales. On one end is Gwen’s story, one of intimate purpose and heartfelt connection. On the other is J.D. and Brax who never fit into the movie in any meaningful way until a tacked-on finale. In the middle are Melanie and Patrick, the latter of whom’s story had the potential to find the most meaning but never quite hits the mark. Ultimately, there’s little reason to invest in their pasts or their predicaments. Even Michael Peña’s slowly revealed place on the island lacks the authentic spirit the underlying pieces would seem to command, and try as he might to wrench out emotion from the role there’s ultimately little that exists beyond face value. That’s the movie in a nutshell. There’s enough basic storytelling at work to find some level of interest in discovering how each fantasy will play out, but that’s about it. It’s too scattered and too flat and the better ends are drowned out by the lesser pieces and the superior drama is dwarfed by the failing contrivances along the way.

Fantasy Island Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally sourced image shines on Blu-ray, another near impeccable new release that pushes the format towards its limits. The picture is clean beyond a few bursts of noise. Colors absolutely leap off the screen in daylight and well-lit interiors. Colorful attire serves as the unmatched highlight, with reds and blues and other vibrant tones jumping off the screen with regularity. Natural greenery abounds, of course, with plenty of depth and variance per the type of foliage. Contrast does push a bit hot -- and more so in some places (a party at night in chapter two) compared to others -- but not usually to the point of feeling overzealously cooked. It's a good, if not slightly generic, look for the film, and Blu-ray certainly serves it very well. Texturally, it's more boom than bust, too. Close-ups reveal expert detail across the board: faces, clothes, and the island's environments, which include sandy beaches, leafy jungles, lavish interiors, and dank caverns. Rarely does the picture lack full-command sharpness and intensely defined details. Skin tones push a bit warm at times but seem influenced only by deliberate lighting and contrast choices. Black levels, at night and particularly in the cave that plays a vital role later on the film, hold steady and natural.

Fantasy Island Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is highly detailed and well versed in the film's sonic wares. Music is bold and captures the spirit of various instrumentals and elements quite nicely. It's wide, proportionately engaged in the back, and offers a solid foundational low end support. Action effects are well served by the track, be they explosions or gunfire. There's enough essential clarity, depth, and room-filling density to get the point across, particularly as these elements find more active and regular use going into and throughout the third act. The island comes alive with a pleasing array of natural ambience that effortlessly pulls the listener into the world, from serene beaches to dense and dark caverns, the latter of which serves as the best example of spacial awareness and natural reverb around the stage. Dialogue is consistently clear and well prioritized as it is delivered from its natural front center home.

Fantasy Island Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Fantasy island contains only an unrated cut audio commentary track, deleted scenes, and previews. This disc also includes two cuts of the film: Theatrical (1:49:06) and Unrated (1:49:24). A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Jeff Wadlow is joined by Actors Michael Peña, Portia Doubleday, Ryan Hansen, Lucy Hale, Jimmy O. Yang, Austin Stowell, and Maggie Q calling in on the phone. The track is light in tone and occasionally meaty in delivery. It offers some decent production insights and anecdotes but it's not a must-listen experience. Accompanying the unrated version only.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 8:56 total runtime): Included are First Sighting, Devil Face Arrives, Roarke Checks In, Entering the Caves, Nightmare Diary, and Death Do Us Part. Includes optional director commentary.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Fantasy Island Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fantasy Island has generated plenty of bad reviews, and more or less rightly so. The film dabbles around a solid enough concept and it holds modest interest through much of the first half, but an overwrought final act, subpar characterization, and a failure to push the envelope leave the film limp and lacking, unable to live up to the more bountiful potential that remains within. Sony's Blu-ray does deliver high yield video and audio presentations. Supplements include an audio commentary track and a few deleted scenes. Rental at best.