Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is the 'sequel' of Journey to the Centre of Earth (starring Brendan Fraser). Actually, I really don't know why they consider it a sequel because the story is completely different – the only similarities are the author of the books in which the films were based on (Jules Verne) and the character of Sean Anderson that appears in both movies. I also found interesting that many people didn't know it was related to the other movie.

What we have here is a film that follows the same scheme of its predecessor – a lot of CGI and 3D effects, amazing and colorful scenarios, silly humor and nothing more. Journey 2 is a movie for all ages - specially the kids - so don't expect violent sequences or sex scenes with your favorite stars.

The plot is traditional and there is obviously those parallel stories - like the boy Sean(Josh Hutcherson) who falls in love with the charming Khailani (Vanessa Hudgens) and his relationship with his mother's boyfriend, Hank – played by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson who shows us that the 'tough guys' can also be funny, charismatic and do movies that they don't have to kill a hundred people.

So, are you thinking about taking your kids to the movies? Well, take them to watch Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - they will be thrilled by it.

But, even if you don't have any kids, watch it. Who said that adults have only to watch serious and artistic movies? Sometimes a little bit of unpretentious fun is necessary in life - and this movie provides it (at least for me it did).

Somewhere in Hollywood there are people who think children are morons and when they set up to make a kid movie, they do it starting with this premise. Morons they may be, but not in the sense their brains don't work well, but because they don't have enough experience. As such, this kind of films appear to me made for retarded (in the real sense of the word) people.

As a sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth from 2008, it is not that bad. The only character remaining, though, is Josh Hutcherson's, so I was at first confused if this is the sequel to that film or to Race to Witch Mountain, which stared Dwayne Johnson and some kids. Also, all the characters are male but for a teen that has no real role in the film. So I was really missing Anita Briem.

The effects were not bad, rather average. The plot itself, taken from afar and with the grain of salt that one has to take with a movie made for children, had potential. I also liked how the characters completed one another, instead of the lone hero knowing and doing everything. However the script to this plot was so incredibly bad that I could not like it, no matter how much I tried.

Bottom line: a franchise dedicated to the sense of wonder and discovery in Jules Verne's books should make more of an effort for actual education. Dropping occasional (and conflicting) science facts that don't even apply to the situation is not enough. Also, having silly to the point of idiotic characters doesn't really inspire kids, either. I grew up with the books of Jules Verne. This entire series has nothing to do with them.

The 17-year-old Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded signal and his stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson) helps him to decipher the message. They find that Sean's grandfather Alexander Anderson (Michael Caine) has found the mysterious island in the Pacific described by Julio Verne and two other writers in their novels.

The stubborn Sean wants to travel to the coordinates and Hank decides to buy the tickets and travel with the teenager to a small island nearby the location. They rent an old helicopter owned by the locals Gabato (Luis Guzmán) and his teenage daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) and the group heads to the unknown spot. Along their journey, they cross a hurricane and crash in the island. They find a beautiful and dangerous place, surrounded by forests, volcanoes with lava of gold and menacing life forms. The meet also the old Alexander and Hank discovers that the island is sinking. Now their only chance to survive is to find the legendary Nautilus.

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a movie with a trailer that is better than the film itself. The lame screenplay begins in a fast pace, with Hank and Sean guessing to quickly the message. The story is very weak and the film is supported by the special effects only. The spoiled Sean and the rude Alexander are detestable characters and Gabato is stupid and annoying and never funny as supposed to be. Hank is multi- skilled in codes, hydraulic and electric engineering, medicine, and music and diving. In the end, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a very disappointing adventure. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Viagem 2: A Ilha Misteriosa" ("Journey 2: The Mysterious Island")

After seeing the trailers, I looked forward to this movie. But although I am a fan of Dwayne Johnson, I cannot recommend this movie to much of anyone. It moves too quickly at the beginning. The premise is interesting but completely implausible, especially the time frame. Some of the scenery is enjoyable but fleeting. Michael Caine's character is entirely too negative. The special effects were not very realistic either. The plot was designed to be a dramatic thriller but it was so pat it was boring. I almost left before the ending as there was no mystery left shortly into the film. Also, the two young people were rather lackluster and the pilot was annoying. For something that held so much promise of a lovely adventure, it was a big disappointment.

I hate to admit this. But I actually enjoyed this movie... I feel ashamed but it's a bit of goofy fun. Far superior to it's overlong, too silly predecessor this fun, energetic fantasy adventure movie keep things moving quickly. After a short but cool setup reintroducing us to the Josh Hutchinson character from the predecessor as he's escaping from some cops after breaking into a satellite station. He soon engages his stepfather played by The Rock and discovers a message from his grandfather about the mysterious island. Moving things along quickly they get there and it's filled wonders from giant lizards, mini elephants and sharks, giant bees they fly on, a gold filled volcano. All visualized in a bright, cheezy sort of CGI that is reminiscent of the 1950s monster, adventure flicks that inspired this one. Sadly, I skipped this in theaters but from what I've seen the 3D must have been pretty amazing. Of course not a lot of the movie makes much sense, but I think it's important to shut your brain off when watching it. it's a very entertaining popcorn flick. There a few laughs, some exciting action set pieces and even a little romance. And as for performances Michael Caine and The Rock leave a better impression than Brendan Frasier left in the first one, Vanessa Hudgens is fine in a supporting role and well Josh Hutchinson is looking pretty good. He's definitely a good actor and his movie star looks are starting to show. So all in all it's more fun than you'd expect ignore the cynics and go in with an open mind. 3.5/5