In 2008, moviegoers looking for a thrill were treated to Journey to the Center of the Earth with Brendan Fraser as Dad Trevor and young actor Josh Hutcherson as son Sean. The premise is the Anderson family has a legacy of adventure-seeking, and in the first film they find the center of the earth.
On February 10, 2012 from New Line Cinema viewers are being treated to another adventure, compliments of Hutcherson again reprising his role of Sean and starring in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.
Sean lives with his mother, Liz, played by Kristin Davis and stepfather Hank played by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Sean seems to have daddy issues and doesn’t quite connect with Hank - that is until Hank proves he might be useful.
Receiving a weird signal from an island that supposedly doesn’t exist, Sean convinces Hank that it might be from his grandfather Alexander, played by two-time Oscar-winning actor Michael Caine. To find someone willing to go to the non-existent island, Sean hires helicopter pilot Gabato played by Luis Guzman. Gabato has a pretty daughter, Kailani (played by Vanessa Hudgens), who, of course, must go along for the ride.
Five minutes in the air and their world goes upside down, landing on the very beach they are looking for. Quickly finding Grandpa Alexander, he shows them all that the island is no longer a mystery, but in fact the lost city of Atlantis. It is Hank who discovers the island isn’t going to be an island for long! Looking to Jules Verne once again, they know what to do to escape a sinking island.
Hutcherson in his role as Sean starts out playing the disgruntled teen who seems in dire need of male guidance. Hutcherson embraces his character’s teen angst, impulsiveness, and raging hormones, along with being pretty good at figuring out clues. While grabbing the teen girls in the audience, he has one huge problem in the way of being the total star of the film…yeah, The Rock.
Dwayne Johnson smiles and women swoon, it's just one of those mystical things in life that can’t be explained. Johnson gets huge kudos for several things – 1) he does the peck pop better than any other human being I know, 2) plays the ukulele pretty darn good, 3) doesn’t have a bad singing voice, and 4) has great comedic timing in his duel of wits with Caine.
Speaking of Caine, this had to be fun for him, pure and simple. From the moment he’s on screen, ‘Grandpa’ not only challenges ‘Hank’ but also comes to understand that his adventures are causing him to miss the greatest adventure of all – seeing his grandson grow up. Caine has the grandfatherly craziness needed to make the role believable.
The other funny man of the film is definitely Luis Guzman as Gabato. He is always on the edge of the film sort of popping in and out with hysterical comments and one liners.
Looking at the downside of the film it would be, sadly, Kristin Davis who plays Mom Liz – or hardly plays Mom. There's only a five minute story here and that’s, "Mom is with someone kid doesn’t like." The end.
The other downside is Hudgens' role. Yes, she is cute, smart and instigates Sean’s raging hormones, which is the point I’m sure. She carries herself just fine playing the smarter-than-my-dad character. That being said, most adults in the middle of the screening were whispering to one another asking, "Can her shorts get any lower?"
The cinematography is lively and colorful, and the 3D is there to either thrill or annoy the viewer. This is definitely a family film and with the humor, jokes and special effects, there is something for every age.
There is a lovable charm to these characters, even if there isn’t time to get to understand the relationships of everyone in play. The film has huge bees, small elephants that everyone is going to wish truly existed, and gooey lizards that can stay imaginary! It's plainly a fun time for the family.
GRADE: 3 out of 5 stars
Journey 2 was directed by Brad Peyton and is rated PG for some adventure action, and brief mild language.
Theatrical Release: February 10, 2012
