This was the greatest "Fantasy Island" that ever was, in my view, beating Ricardo's portrayal of Mr. Rourke with a huge pointy stick. Malcolm McDowell's dark sense of humor and sarcastic tones make the series worth it alone. When he looks at the grey sky, snaps his finger, and clears the clouds away, it was so much cooler. McDowell felt more like he belonged in this role than Montalban did. When Montalban guided someone through a fantasy it was a "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," feeling. With McDowell, you waited for the next surprise like you waited for your birthday presents when you were 3. His constant air of "I told you so..." made things fun, while his torment added a feeling of almost pity. Of course, you didn't pity him when he was so horrible to other people, but sometimes you just had to feel sorry for him. Anyway, the show was cancelled too soon, which is sad because it would have been and incredible success for ABC and now The Sci-Fi Channel. I only hope that maybe someone will ressurrect this along with the cast from the 1998 series.
Review of Fantasy Island
