The original "Temptation Island" is a prime example of a film so bad that it's so good. The campy feeling and most especially its classic one-liners and extremely stereotyped characters makes its a complex mumbo-jumbo that will make you drop your jaws in shock, in wonder and in laughter. The three decade old film is a cult classic and a wonder to behold to those who get it. As for the new remake, it falters to shine as bright as its brethren (as expected). It copies and mimics but never really dares to do or try anything new. Is it a fun film to watch? Probably, no thanks to it sticking to the other-worldly original. Does it justify a remake and is it really any good? Not so much.
Four young ladies from different social backgrounds decide to join the "Miss Manila Sunshine Beauty Pageant" and at stake is a million Pesos, a house and lot and a luxury trip to California. Virginia (Heart Evangelista) is a college student who enters the contest in order to earn independence from her family. Serefina (Lovie Poe) is a rich and spoiled socialite decides to join just because she thinks she is beautiful enough to win it. With her is her maid, Nympha (Rufa Mae Qunito). Next is, Pura (Solenn Huessaff) is the daughter of a former rich socialite who manages to loss the riches they had before. She joins to help her mother get back on her feet. The last girl is Cristina (Marian Rivera). She is a con-artist who plans to rig the contest by using her and her boyfriend's sexuality to influence the judges into voting for her. While on route to the evening gown competition, the ship they are in catches fire. The four women, Maria, Joshua (John Lapus), the gay coordinator of the pageant, his boy toy Ricardo (Ricky Belmonte), Umberto, a waiter at the ship, and Alfred (Aljur Abrenica) land on a desert island and must do everything to survive.
We do not know what's more surprising - that GMA and Regal Films decided to make a remake of "Temptation Island" or the fact that they did not dare change a single thing. Some may say that tampering with the original story line (or even the script) would destroy the campy feeling or the allure of the first but we beg to differ. Making a remake is already tampering per se and usually, remakes are re-imaginations of the original vision not a mere copy-and-paste of it. "Temptation Island", the 2011 remake, is like having a shiny new car minus any changes on its old interior/innards. It may look beautiful at first glance but screams mediocrity once you try to see what's really running the car inside. Not all is bad for "Temptation Island" though. It's actually a funny film no thanks to Rufa Mae Quinto and her dastardly antics. Amazingly, the next best character is her boss played by Lovie Poe. Her sultry voice and devilish attitude is the thing that really makes the film more interesting than it should be. As for the other cast members, their performances were okay to just plain bad. We hated that some actors just couldn't pronounce lines well. "Temptation Island" is a so-so remake and we have the same sentiments to the film when judged on its own.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- it's a funny film at best and that's the only good thing we can think off
- we could say that the cinematography and graphics were a notch higher than the usual local fare
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- a lazy remake that doesn't dare do anything new
Four young ladies from different social backgrounds decide to join the "Miss Manila Sunshine Beauty Pageant" and at stake is a million Pesos, a house and lot and a luxury trip to California. Virginia (Heart Evangelista) is a college student who enters the contest in order to earn independence from her family. Serefina (Lovie Poe) is a rich and spoiled socialite decides to join just because she thinks she is beautiful enough to win it. With her is her maid, Nympha (Rufa Mae Qunito). Next is, Pura (Solenn Huessaff) is the daughter of a former rich socialite who manages to loss the riches they had before. She joins to help her mother get back on her feet. The last girl is Cristina (Marian Rivera). She is a con-artist who plans to rig the contest by using her and her boyfriend's sexuality to influence the judges into voting for her. While on route to the evening gown competition, the ship they are in catches fire. The four women, Maria, Joshua (John Lapus), the gay coordinator of the pageant, his boy toy Ricardo (Ricky Belmonte), Umberto, a waiter at the ship, and Alfred (Aljur Abrenica) land on a desert island and must do everything to survive.
We do not know what's more surprising - that GMA and Regal Films decided to make a remake of "Temptation Island" or the fact that they did not dare change a single thing. Some may say that tampering with the original story line (or even the script) would destroy the campy feeling or the allure of the first but we beg to differ. Making a remake is already tampering per se and usually, remakes are re-imaginations of the original vision not a mere copy-and-paste of it. "Temptation Island", the 2011 remake, is like having a shiny new car minus any changes on its old interior/innards. It may look beautiful at first glance but screams mediocrity once you try to see what's really running the car inside. Not all is bad for "Temptation Island" though. It's actually a funny film no thanks to Rufa Mae Quinto and her dastardly antics. Amazingly, the next best character is her boss played by Lovie Poe. Her sultry voice and devilish attitude is the thing that really makes the film more interesting than it should be. As for the other cast members, their performances were okay to just plain bad. We hated that some actors just couldn't pronounce lines well. "Temptation Island" is a so-so remake and we have the same sentiments to the film when judged on its own.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- it's a funny film at best and that's the only good thing we can think off
- we could say that the cinematography and graphics were a notch higher than the usual local fare
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- a lazy remake that doesn't dare do anything new
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