Fantasy Island (2020) - Surprisingly watchable

It's very rare that a horror movie sets new grounds and becomes some sort of classic that will stay with audiences and change the genre forever.  2020's 'Fantasy Island' is no different.  It doesn't reinvent the wheel or offer anything you haven't really seen before, so often the best you can get from a low-budget horror film is that it entertains you for an hour and a half and is generally watchable. 'Fantasy Island' is just that.  It has enough decent parts to it that it will keep you watching right up until the end and you shouldn't feel like you've wasted your time.

A handful of people get invited to a tropical paradise which boasts that it can make any and every fantasy come true for each of its guests.  Those who take up this tempting offer are nicely different to each other and, although you probably won't remember their exact names when the credits roll, you'll know each of them by sight (again, often the best a horror movie can expect).  No one puts in any sort of 'Oscar-worthy' performance, but the acting is decent enough and you'll feel for some of them when the body parts start getting hacked off and the blood starts flowing.

Naturally, things don't go to plan and the malicious supernatural element of the island soon comes into play and turns these people's fantasies into nightmares - with often fatal consequences.

Perhaps the one thing that I really liked with this film was that I didn't know where it was going.  Yes, the whole premises is a little hard to swallow and you'll have to suspend your disbelief in order to get something out of it, but, if you do, you'll actually find something worth watching.  In many films (especially horror) you'll know exactly who the hero is and who will survive. 'Fantasy Island' is a little different in that you may not know who the 'true' hero is when it first starts and who survives may surprise you when the film finally ends.

There are also a few nice little twists in it that you might not see coming (I didn't!) which also add to the overall feel of the film and there was even a moment at the very end which I found was very nice and genuinely touching.

Like I say, it's ultimately nothing new.  It's sort of a 'slasher' film where one cast member will be killed before the next, but it's certainly well worth watching if you're a fan of the genre and can find it for cheap or part of your online streaming service.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that

The Invisible Man (2020) - Jury's still out on the ending

Taking aside the fact that 2020's 'The Invisible Man' was supposed to be part of Universal Studio's 'Dark Universe' (until 'The Mummy' bombed in 2017 and Universal Studios had to accept that the public just weren't that interested in the concept when they had Marvel Superheroes to keep them going!), 'The Invisible Man' is one of those strange films that I just can't work out how I feel about.

I think it caused 'outrage' on its cinematic release (but then doesn't everything outrage someone these days?) and, having now watched the film, I can't work out which mainstream political 'side' was most offended.  It's a horror/thriller (unless you want to add 'science-fiction' in there as well, but, in my opinion, mainly 'horror/thriller') about, as you've probably guessed, a man who has found a way of turning himself invisible and is now enjoying the 'perks' (if you can call them that!) of his newfound power.

He mercilessly torments his former partner and makes her life a living hell by framing her for one felony after another - in his mind for her 'crime' of leaving him.  I still remember when 'Hollow Man' came out back in 2000 (roughly?) starring Kevin Bacon.  The fact that computers could now make having an 'invisible' actor perform on set was pretty impressive for its time and 'Hollow Man' will always be my 'modern retelling' of the classic tale.  But 2020's take on the source material isn't a complete waste of time.  It has its own spin on the mythology and has a twists and turns that you may not see coming (I didn't!).

It's just the ending.  It really jarred with me.  I wasn't sure what it was trying to say or whether I approved of 'the message' it was trying to state (if indeed it was trying to say anything meaningful at all!).  It seemed like it ended, only it didn't.  It was like the studio wanted to add another bit on after then ending for some reason.  Then things seemed to happen that didn't really fit with what had gone before it and, if you looked too deeply into it, there are some major plotholes in the storytelling.

Overall, it's not bad.  The special effects are very good and the acting is fine, too - for a horror movie.  It's no classic, but it's definitely worth a couple of hours of your time if you can find it as part of a streaming service or something.  I guess however you interpret the ending and its possible message will either add or detract from your overall opinion of the movie.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that