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Fantasy Island (2020)

2020 • 1h 49m • Adventure, Fantasy • PG-13
On September 25, 2026
#3040▲ 7029
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All reviews

Kamurai on Fantasy Island

5/10 · Sep 15, 2020

It’s an okay film, something I might watch again, though it’s unlikely I will, and I can’t really suggest it to anyone. I needed to view this twice just to grasp what was going on; initially, I figured my tiredness was the issue, but that wasn't the case—it still didn’t make much sense during the second viewing. A lot of the issues stem from the writing itself. I don’t know what it is about writers and mysterious islands (I'm looking at "Lost" as an example), but they seem to drive them a little mad: just because anything *could* happen doesn’t mean that it should. The problem with "Lost" was that they were supposedly responding to audience reactions, trying hard to create episodes that didn't fit expectations (apparently attempting to keep viewers guessing), which resulted in disconnected storylines and random shifts. This film feels like that entire experience compressed into a single movie. The reason audiences can usually connect the dots is because the narrative establishes a structure; unexpected deviations from that pattern improve the story, they don’t undermine it. The movie does include some intriguing clues, but there are so many pointless detours and performances within performances that I can't explain without giving too much away (it’s arguably the film’s one good quality, so I won’t). There is a skillful way to use red herrings and misdirection, but this isn't an example of it. The outcome appears similar until you examine what occurred and realize that the first part was based on established information while the second was driven by arbitrary writing choices. The island’s mystery also gets in the way of the standard mystery elements. Even supernatural mysteries have rules to adhere to. When there are no guidelines, prediction becomes impossible, and the story can become tedious or irritating. I'm not saying this movie is completely worthless, but I feel sorry for Lucy Hale; she’s easily the best part of it.

Source on TMDB