L'Ile fantastique

I watched episode 1 after my brother informed me of the new TV series. We are both in our 50s and remember the original series with Ricardo Montalbán. I did not have any expectations. Oh my, the writing is absolutely bad. I watched the entire episode to give it a real chance. I kept repeating out loud to myself, this is so bad. The performances from everyone in episode 1 is mediocre; acting that looked, sounded and felt like acting.

The sound mixing is also not done well. Each time a scene features music, the music is too loud which caused me to continually adjust the volume. Once I lowered the volume I then could not hear the dialogue well after the music ceased so I would then need to increase the volume. Bad writing, bad acting, poor sound mixing, and oh so boring. Oh, my!

As Roselyn Sanchez states "Most people don't understand there is a difference between a fantasy and a miracle." Some of the other IMDB reviewers are obviously looking for a miracle, or simply just miss the 1977 TV version with Tattoo's (Hervé Villechaize) famous line "Boss 'da plane, 'da plane!"

I for one liked the refreshing upgrade to the Fantasy Island theme having the beautiful and very classy Roselyn Sanchez as the islands new host, and mini Tattoo has been replaced by a Golden Retriever dog named Mr. Jones. Roselyn plays Elena Roarke, and very quickly she pays homage to her Great Uncle, Ricardo Montalban, before we get to greet the islands first three guests.

I am a senior citizen now, and yes, I watched the original 1977 TV series regularly, but I also realize time passes us all by and as such with the passing of 44 years since this TV series was first aired, we all have memories. Some good memories, and some not so good memories that we sometimes reflect back and wish we could go back to a simpler time.

I think the producers have properly upgraded this new version, and Roselyn Sanchez makes the perfect new host. I look forward to being a regular weekly viewer.

I give this revamped Fantasy Island TV series a solid 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Cancer, verbal abuse, body shaming, and sexuality... These are sometimes difficult issues to discuss and I think the first episode does this quite well. I see a lot of negative reviews for this show, but they all seem superficial when compared to the subject matter. Watch the show and judge for yourself.

I liked this. I'm not understanding the "1" reviews. I watched the original as a kid in the 70s. It was always a program that addressed what you think your fantasy is, might not actually be your fantasy. Both then and now, this show required some huge suspension of disbelief. I think the reboot captured all of that. I like the reference at the very beginning to the forever awesome Ricardo Montalban. The newscaster story was a bit disjointed, because of editing or something...I don't know. Anyway, I like the casting, the scenery, and the overall feel. It's worth a watch.

Give this reboot a fair shake. If you want to see another snarky cruel show, this isn't for you. There's heart here, and an underlying kindness that speaks to the original. There's magic and a chance to see people confront and handle their problems. And beautiful scenery as a bonus. I look forward to seeing the show grow into itself and into our hearts as the original did.