A Ilha da Fantasia

I find it interesting that everyone has forgotten about the re-boot made with Malcolm McDowell as Roarke. IT was a darker, more sarcastic take on the whole fantasy fullfilling issue - which maybe this re-make could make use of. The acting is fine. I like Roselyn Sanchez as Ms. Roarke and her assistant Ruby is also interesting as she gets familiar with this magical place. But it's just so - nice. Sweet. A bit too much sweet - not enough of a punch in the gut like some of the episodes with McDowell. I loved Ricardo Montalban and was a devoted viewer of the original and equally so the McDowell version. This one - it's so far a maybe on my list of must watch series.

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!

Show is entertaining. But Ruby needs to go! That fake southern accent is the worst.

The plot of Fantasy Island has been updated with Roslyn Sanchez playing the role of Elena Roarke, the grand niece of Mr. Rourke and she has an assistant named Ruby.

Same storylines but the main difference is a big budget which the classic show didn't have. The new show is filmed in Puerto Rico.

Ms. Sanchez is very attractive and FOX is known for eye candy so there's that. Nothing can replace the original series but I'm sure this new one looks great in HD and hopefully this show rekindles interest in the original. It has for me, and I for one enjoy watching the reruns with Ricardo Montalban!

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.