Fantasy Island is the perfect movie for thriller addicts with its numerous twists and turns. Written by Jeff Waldow as an adaptation to the original 1970’s ABC TV show, Fantasy Island, the film is produced by Columbia Pictures and came out in theaters on February 14, 2020, as rated PG-13. The movie is intense, comical and different.

Micheal Pena stars as Mr. Roarke, a mysterious island benefactor to the unique fantasy suites. The contestants on the island include Lucy Hale as Melanie Cole, Maggie Q as Gwen Olson, Austin Stowell as Patrick Sullivan, Portia Doubleday as Sloane Maddison, and Jimmy O. Yang as Brax Weaver. 

The movie focuses on contest winners arriving on a deserted, tropical island. They are first met by Mr. Roarke who promises he can make all their deepest fantasies come true. All contestants answer a short questionnaire and the island predicts the rest. They arrive with a healthy amount of skepticism: some want something shallow, others are looking for deep and emotional satisfaction. Once their fantasy begins, the dreamed fantasies are not what the contestants expected. They must see them out to their completion. The characters soon learn to be careful what they wish for. 

Throughout the duration of the movie, the main focus is on suspense. Melanie’s fantasy creates tension with whether she will survive from her childhood friend coming back for revenge on her. Out of all the nightmare fantasies, Melanie’s quest fulfills the intense feeling that makes up a horror movie. Her character is portrayed as brave before and after the nightmares of her fantasy. 

The movie’s setting and technological advances help add to the realism of the unique island. Its picture quality and plot division is important to what makes it such a suspenseful movie. 

Even with jump scares, a film like this is packed with mysteries, inviting viewers to see if they can solve them. For instance, how is the island able to bring these people’s desires to life? Is Roarke pulling the strings? And if not him, who? Wadlow’s answers are irritatingly combined. Throughout the film, Waldow throws in additional farfetched surprises, building toward a gotcha ending that is meant to be shocking.

     Fantasy Island is a thriller packed movie for any horror fan. It is a puzzle of various fantasies that grasps viewers to figure out what happens. It is a must for horror fans and suspense-loving individuals.