Nonureva Really Surprised!

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

fantasyislander65 After reading some of the earlier nasty remarks, I had to put in my two cents. This show was NOT, despite what that goon in Essex thinks, the worst thing that ever aired on TV. I think most of today's TV is much worse (when is this stupid "reality" fad ever going to end??) and there isn't a current show I can stand to watch. Gimme the stuff I grew up with. I'm a 1965 baby and not ashamed to admit it.This show has been my all-time favorite for almost 30 years. I was in high school when it originally aired and I think it helped me to hang on throughout those miserable days. I was such a misfit back then, and "Fantasy Island" appealed to my imagination. As I was a budding writer in those days, it provided incredible opportunities for me to practice the craft. What a wonderful premise! I won't say it didn't have its faults. Sometimes the scripts were pretty bad, and some of the problems seemed trivial; but it could be good too, and it was a blast to watch and still is. As for the cheesiness factor, well, I think it's unfair to label every single 70s product as cheesy. There was a lot of great stuff back then and this was among the ranks. (BTW, most of the seasons aired in the 80s!!) My favorite episodes came from seasons 2, 3 and 4 mostly.To those who disparage Hervé Villechaize for his heavy French accent and his short stature: GROW UP and LEARN SOMETHING! It's so easy to make fun when you're "normal" and "perfect". That man made the best of what he was dealt in life, and if you don't like it, that's just tough. Have a little compassion. He's been dead 15 years, and how easy it is to cut down someone who can't defend himself. There's just no shame anymore.I love this show. So it looks dated. Hate to tell you this, but we didn't have splashy special effects and Blu-Ray discs. We were lucky to have VCRs. Live with it. Accept it for what it is, and that's just plain fun. "Escapist TV" describes it perfectly, and that's what it was for me -- an escape from my rotten real life. And it's still a lot of fun to watch.

BumpyRide Originally, this show had a dark side to it which quickly disappeared. The dark side was replaced with silly problems brought on by it's "guest stars." Think of any washed up movie star and they made an appearance on this show. The exotic locale helped, with the plane bringing that week's stars to the island, flying over waterfalls, and mountains along the way. Mr. Roarke would always greet his guests and then turn to Tattoo and say something ominous to him about one of this weeks fantasies, just so we'd stay tuned. This was essentially a landlocked "Love Boat." It was harmless fluff and part of my formative years...how scary is that?

Poseidon-3 The bloom has worn off this fondly remembered series of which the memories do not match up to the reality seen during reruns. When the show first aired, it seemed like a lush, star-laden piece of wonderment and entertainment. With its tropical setting, unique lead characters, eventful and varied stories and the parade of name actors each week, it was a hit that lingered in the memory for decades. However, now, after so much has changed in television, the series often looks cheap, seems trite and inane and, worst of all, comes off as pretty dull! Montalban (the essence of class, dignity and charisma) was forced each week to react to the unintelligible, unfunny ramblings of Villechaize (a freakish persona who looks like the dwarfed love child of Freddie Fender and Charo.) These forced, ludicrous scenarios (shown just before the guest stars' names appear) are downright painful to watch (and even more painful to listen to with Villechaize seemingly deliberately placing emphasis on all the wrong words and syllables in his dialogue.) Then the "stars" arrive and it is criminally clear that all of the shots of the leads were done separately at different times. The primary characters never even met during the legendary opening arrival scenes! (Even worse, the SAME shot of the SAME dancer and musicians is shown over and over and OVER week after week!) Even though it is always fun to catch a glimpse of once-famous or almost famous celebrities in their waning years (or also to spot up and comers who often don't even get billing in these episodes), the storylines are, for the most part, beyond lame and hugely predictable. Additionally, the cheap-jack production values (aside from the location filming that was used again and again and AGAIN) spoil a lot of the effect of the guest appearances. Many times the celebs are lit with worse lighting than Donna Reed complained about when she was given the shaft on "Dallas". The show is worth checking out if one is a completist for seeing a favorite guest actor or if almost nothing else worthwhile is on, but unfortunately the show simply doesn't hold up today. Still, even this beats the wrong-headed, flop, 1998 remake version that starred Malcolm McDowell. Oh well, at least the customized red and white station wagons were fun.

jwrowe3 Here's a great example of a "cult" TV show.When I was a teenager in the late 1970's, I wouldn't go out(much to the annoyance of my then girlfriend) 'till both Fantasy Island and The Love Boat were over on Saturday nights. Now, living in the Central Time zone, where prime time started at 7pm, as opposed to 8pm on the East, you still had plenty of time to do things, and be home before the parents got mad. ++SPOILERS++Probably the best example of "escapist television" ever made. You didn't have to be an Einstein to follow the paper thin plots. The basic premise was that the mysterious Mr. Roark would grant guests to his island any wish that they wanted. Fame, fortune, love, whatever. However, according to his trusty helper, Tatoo, one could only visit the Island, only once.The guests were pretty, the scenery was gorgeous, and you usually felt happy when the show ended.Paired with "The Love Boat" this was a ratings winning pair for the ABC television network. After it was cancelled, it was replaced by a sort of similar feeling show, "Finders of Lost Loves", that lasted just one season.As of July 2003, "FI" was running on TVLand.