WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fantasy Island, in theaters now.
Jeff Wadlow's Fantasy Island reboot definitely tries to stand on its own legs, veering into horror territory instead of the quirky fantasy elements on the classic TV series. With Michael Peña as the new Mr. Roarke, it's a much darker approach sees guests on the island go through a game of torture, concocted by Melanie (Lucy Hale) after they all caused her pain in the past.
But as much as the movie tries to be something along the lines of Saw, the new direction lacks some key elements and doesn't work as well as the beloved series.
Firstly, while Fantasy Island focused on revolving tourists at a mystical resort, the cast always felt so engaging. Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant Tattoo had brilliant chemistry that made for such an intriguing watch. Peña doesn't have as much of an interesting dynamic as Montalbán did as a man of mystery running the island. The rest of Wadlow's cast is pretty bland with Maggie Q's Gwen alone having a unique story with wanting her family back. Mel's a typical slasher villain while Patrick's need to be in an army fantasy to meet his dead dad doesn't hit the emotional resonance it intended.
The other characters such as J.D. and Brax are cheesy frat boys looking for drugs and sex while Sloane's kidnapped and trying to get back to her husband to avoid Mel's revenge. It's all cliched and lacks depth, which is in stark contrast to the series which usually focused on substance over style. All the guests had something to learn and they took away a grand message, but in the movie, it's just about survival of the fittest.
Secondly, while fans get more insight into the gem powering the fantasies and how it could set up future stories, it detracts from the mysterious aura. What made the old series so good was the ambiguity of the island. Unfortunately, that's thrown out the window for the movie as it spoon-feeds the audience and limits their imagination. Wadlow just doesn't capitalize on this setting as much because while the island should have been gory fun and games, it's neutered down to a PG-13 borefest. Wadlow had the perfect location and a supernatural hook but watered it down immensely so it's not an immersive experience like Roarke having people sacrificing a price to get their ultimate dream was on the show.
Those stakes felt much more real on the show because they could truly shake a guest to the core. The movie, on the other hand, leaves people using guns and other weapons to escape a weekend gone bad. Again, any teen film could have done this so Wadlow loses the heart, soul and overall magic that made the show great.
All in all, Fantasy Island wastes its setting, has a pretty cookie-cutter cast and the narrative tries way too hard to paint Mel as a mastermind. This leads to stupid decisions, plot holes and non-sensical decisions. Things are way more complex in the movie than they were on the show and by being so intricate, Wadlow and Co. created something that feels like wasted potential.
Directed by Jeff Waldow, Fantasy Island stars Michael Peña, Lucy Hale, Maggie Q, Portia Doubleday, Jimmy O. Yang, Michael Rooker and Ryan Hansen.