Film: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Michael Caine, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzmán
Director: Brad Peyton
Rating: ***
A sequel to Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is all fantasy and a thoroughly entertaining movie.
The plot is by no means original but still fun. Sean Anderson, once again played by Josh Hutcherson, is a teenage scientific explorer whose mission in life is to join his long lost grandfather (Michael Caine) on a mysterious Island that authors Jules Verne and Jonathan Swift have written about in their books. He is joined in this quest by his stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock) who is looking to build a relationship with his stepson. They reach Palau and take the help of Gabato (Luis Guzman) and his daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) to get to the mysterious Island. They brave a huge storm, a class 5 hurricane, and a malfunctioning helicopter but finally make it to the Island.
Enter a beautiful lush green fantastical land of tiny elephants and giant lizards and let the adventures roll!
If you can step aside the fact that everyone in the film is smart enough to identify and solve the hidden clues in age old literature in a matter of minutes and also that nobody dies in an island full of giant killer creatures, you will quite enjoy the film.
As far as performances are concerned, everybody does their part well. The Rock is lovable, Caine delightfully cheeky, Hudgens is the perfect eye candy and Hutcherson is quite the science dude. Guzman’s character… well frankly it’s quite racist but that’s no judgement on his performance.
Unlike the recent spate of 3D films that have no business being 3D in the first place, Journey 2… is an unexpected delight. It is full of some great 3D effects that make having those annoying glasses sitting on your nose worth it.
The film has its fair share of cheesy moments and painfully predictable dialogues but try not to roll your eyes when Kailani says, “We will have all the wealth in the world as long as we are together,” because with those 3D glasses on, it will just give you a headache.
Do not expect any profound knowledge or life changing revelations from Journey 2… it is a fun family flick without rhyme or reason. Watch it for its excellent 3D effects, for its great visuals, and for some downright hilarious moments but most importantly watch it for Dwayne Johnson’s pec pop dance, it will make your day.
