Film Reviews

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

• Rating:
• Director: Brad Peyton.
• Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Michael Caine, Vanessa Hudgens.
• Details: US / 94mins (PG).

Staring at Journey 2's poster I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was a sequel to until it finally dawned on me: the Brendan Fraser outing Journey To The Centre Of The Earth that was out a few years ago that no one really saw! The franchise returns to Jules Verne for material but little remains of his novel. When Sean (Hutcherson) receives a coded message he, along with mum's new husband Hank (Johnson), piece together the clues that lead to the location of the mysterious island Jules Verne wrote about. Believing his grandfather (Caine) is the one who sent the message and is trapped on the island, Sean and Hank rope in husband and daughter helicopter team Hudgens and Luis Guzmán to fly them. Crashing on the island, they soon learn that things are reversed - big animals are small, insects are huge - so making it to granddad's camp isn't easy… With giant lizard chases, hitching rides on bees to battle birds, and crawling into dark tunnels where insects lie in wait, director Brad Peyton (The Revenge Of Kitty Galore) keeps the pot boiling throughout. Having only seeing the 2D version, there are enough action and chase sequences - on land, in the air and underwater - to suggest the 3D outing might be worth a punt. These action sequences, however, are of a stop-start nature: as soon as they kick off, they're over, which kills any momentum. Never fear, though: there is another one never far away, though. Hutcherson keeps his head above water in his child-to-adult actor transition; Caine is in mad old coot mode; Johnson doesn't know whether to bring the funny or the serious (but he does get to sing What A Wonderful World); Guzman works hard to make his whiny character as congenial as possible; and the sole reason for Hudgens' appearance is to wear something tight. A light adventure romp with just enough wonder and danger to keep things ticking over, kids should like it.

Review by Gavin Burke