Like many sci-fi series, Fantasy Island has had some staying power. Debuting in 1977, the series was led by the strange Mr. Roarke, played by Ricardo Montalban and his assistant Tattoo, played by Herve Villechaize. They oversaw a tropical paradise that would grant visitors their deepest desires... but for a price. When the series was cancelled in 1984, fans might have been forgiven for thinking that the show had come to its natural end. But there has been a one series reboot in 1998 and a poorly received horror-remake from Blumhouse in 2020. Now Fox has picked up the mantle of producers and Fantasy Island has returned, this time with the enigmatic Elena Roarke in charge.
Fantasy Island is one of those shows that not many people have heard of but everyone seems to know what it was about. And its clear from the opening episode that the new creators, Liz Craft and Sarah Fain have a firm handle on what makes the show tick. Just the title alone should tell the audience what they'll be in for but the format of an island giving its visitors what they truly desire opens up all sorts of creative avenues for both the guests and the writers of the series who can do pretty much anything the budget will allow. The island's mastermind, Elena Roarke, played by Roselyn Sanchez is a descendant of the original main character and like her predecessor its her job to steer her guests towards fantasies they might not have envisioned but will lead them to answers for their problems.
These fantasies range to any genre, we've got a couple who body-swap with a comment: "She's Freaky-Friday-ed us!" There is a young Indian woman who is struggling between following her heart and following an arranged marriage, a couple who discover a fountain of youth, a woman who travels to 1950s Cuba to meet her Grandfather and another woman who is in denial of her sexuality until she enters the world of the books she loves so much and falls for the female writer. As with the original series Elena and her assistants have to guide the guests through these fantasies to discover what they really want. For example, a television presenter comes to island to be able to eat whatever she wants and Elena makes her confront memories of her abusive father, still controlling her life even though he is dead.
Mr. Roarke never had relationships or even got cross with any of the guests and this added to his mysterious image. Craft and Fain made the right decision and opened up Elena as a character, she is the caretaker of the island but what are her fantasies? Its alluded too that she broke off an engagement for this job but she has a flirtatious relationship that soon escalates to a romantic one with Javier, the pilot who brings the guests to the island and its nice to see her getting character development and seeing what makes her tick. Actress Roselyn Sanchez is usually in soapy drama's so Fantasy Island is a departure from her usual work, but she nails the caring and compassionate side of her character with the controlling side.
For those who are a fan or remember the original series there are a number of call-backs and tributes to the 1977 series. The way the island finds Elena a new Tattoo in the form of Ruby, played Kiara Barnes, the theme tune - though shortened is the same and the all-white wardrobes the characters wear are all stolen from the original series. Though the themes and ideas behind people's fantasies have been given a 21st century twist.
The best episodes of this series are the emotional ones. Ruby finds herself on the island as an old woman who, along with her husband, find a fountain of youth which removes the cancer that is killing her. But the island, sensing that Elena needs a companion, decides to keep Ruby young and healthy meaning she has to leave her husband. Her husband later returns in the island's Day of the Dead festivities as a spirit wishing his wife a final goodbye. Quantum Entanglement sees a diva-like mother trying to reconnect to her daughter who makes her feel invisible. Once Upon A Time In Havana sees a daughter meeting her grandfather in 1950s Cuba to discover her love of music and her families dislike of it. While things can sometimes fall into the cheesy territory, the writers make sure that they stick with the episode's heart, something that can't be easy when the show is desperately trying to be cheesy.
Fantasy Island has just wrapped its second series in the US and while there's no news on the second series coming to the UK, I'm hoping that Sky will pick it up. Pretty much everything about this debut series was fantastic, it was light-hearted and fun and made a change to not need to see every single episode for fear of missing some important detail which leads to the finale. Sure its cheesy but it has a lot of heart and Roselyn Sanchez and Kiara Barnes make for a great duo worthy of leading their own television series. If you're looking for a light watch, then Fantasy Island is definitely a safe bet.
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