Starring Michael Peña, Lucy Hale, Portia Doubleday and Maggie Q, the best time I had watching director Jeff Wadlow’s new fantasy/adventure/horror film, Fantasy Island, is at the very start, because it opens well. There were also a few other suspenseful moments and chase sequences that commanded my attention.

The unfortunate thing is that it became quite clear soon after the start that this is a story that isn’t as well thought out or clever as I’d hoped. It felt simplistic, slow in parts and unconvincing. The latter, especially because how could one book a stay at a resort that promises you the chance to live out your most elaborate fantasies, but without finding out the details of what that actually means? Particularly since you had to complete a questionnaire beforehand to state what your fantasies are. I’m clearly not a big fan of surprises that aren’t guaranteed to be pleasant, especially if I’m paying big bucks for them.

If you really, REALLY must, then hit that play button. Otherwise, maybe watch Lost, a TV show also set on a mysterious Island. Unfortunately, no movies similar to Fantasy Island came to mind at the time of writing.

Lastly, I confess that I never made it past half of season two of Lost. So I probably shouldn’t be recommending it. Big oops!

Happy Film Loving,

G