I’ll admit, I went into Jeff Wadlow's adaptation without knowing anything about the original TV series—and after seeing it, I have zero interest in exploring that world further. My guiding principle is simple: a movie lives or dies by its story and characters. No matter how flawless everything else might be, if those two elements don’t work, the whole thing collapses. Occasionally, some parts remain salvageable; rarely, a segment escapes unscathed, allowing the film to just barely pass muster. Fantasy Island manages to hold onto a couple of bright spots in Portia Doubleday (as Sloane) and Maggie Q (as Gwen), who both deliver solid performances—Doubleday’s particularly, given her work on one of television's best shows, Mr. Robot. Beyond that, though, it’s a complete disaster. While The Grudge had its moments, Fantasy Island is easily the worst movie I’ve seen this year. The foundation of the film rests upon unbelievably irritating and predictable characters alongside a narrative so absurd that it brings everything crashing down. The third act contains some of the most baffling, illogical plot twists I've ever encountered. It feels like 2020’s version of Serenity—another movie with an outlandish twist that only serves to worsen things. The key difference is that Serenity's twist was telegraphed from early on; Fantasy Island’s final twenty minutes are shockingly unexpected, because no one could reasonably conceive of such a bizarre narrative choice. The best way to describe the twist without giving anything away (and I won’t) is through how it’s edited. The editing during this exposition-heavy reveal is so jarring and disjointed that I initially thought what I was seeing wasn't real—that it was some kind of elaborate fakeout. When I realized it *was* happening, I just started laughing because I couldn't believe someone would think it made any sense. Usually, a plot twist has at least some setup, even if it’s just a few minutes beforehand. This one simply appears out of nowhere. Without any foreshadowing, a character suddenly shows up and starts explaining everything. It makes absolutely no logical sense, creating so many contradictions that I lost count of the plot holes. The film establishes certain rules at the beginning, only to completely disregard or change them an hour later. Characters behave in inexplicable ways with no discernible reason. If the screenplay wasn't already a mess, the characters are poorly written as well. I rarely feel comfortable criticizing an actor’s performance, but Ryan Hansen (as JD Weaver) is clearly the weakest link, even though every script is terrible. The casting choices themselves are questionable: Michael Peña as a dramatic Mr. Roarke? A character who's supposed to be serious and mysterious? It’s Michael Peña! I’m not saying he can only do comedy, but casting him as the villain (or whatever you want to call him) is another example of poor decision-making. Lucy Hale (as Melanie) is adequate in the lead role, but she's ultimately let down by the lazy and uninspired writing. The whole thing is so unbelievably chaotic that I don’t even have any technical criticisms… aside from noting that the beginning and the core concept seem promising. That’s the only compliment I can offer: it wasn’t a bad idea to mix different fantasies and genres—it could have been an enjoyable blend of styles. Fantasy Island is without question the worst film released so far this year. Consider it 2020's version of last year's Serenity, but with a plot twist in the final act that’s so unexpected, it will leave audiences stunned by its absurdity. The story didn't even approach decent until the reveal, and it only became significantly worse afterward. Numerous inconsistencies and gaping plot holes are generated by this ridiculous attempt at a Shyamalan-esque twist. And if the narrative choices aren’t enough to condemn it, the poorly written characters don’t help the underwhelming acting—with the exception of Portia Doubleday and Maggie Q, who represent the few redeeming qualities of the film. Ultimately, the two essential pillars of any movie (story and characters) are a complete failure, leading everything else to crumble beyond repair. Rating: F

Source on TMDB