CAST: Dwayne Johnson (Hank), Josh Hutcherson (Sean Anderson), Vanessa Hudgens (Kailani), Michael Caine (Alexander), Luis Guzman (Gabato), Kristin Davis (Liz Anderson); DIRECTOR: Brad Peyton; SCREENWRITER: Brian Gunn; PRODUCED BY: Charlotte Huggins, Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson; EDITING: David Rennie; GENRE: Action & Adventure, Kids &Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy; CINEMATOGRAPHER DISTRIBUTOR: New Line Cinema; LOCATION: United States; RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes
Technical Assessment: 4
Moral Assessment: 3.5
Cinema Rating: For viewers 13 years old and below with parental guidance
Sean (Josh Hutcherson) gets coded messages he suspects have come from his long-lost explorer grandfather (played by Michael Caine). With the help of his stepfather and legal guardian Hank (Dwayne Johnson) they decode the message and locate its origin, the Mysterious Island which is somewhere off Palau. Sean is dead set on finding the Mysterious Island; Hank is eager to bond with the young boy and as his legal guardian obliges the latter. Off they go, renting a rickety four-seater plane to cross the ocean with just the pilot (Luis Guzman) and his strong-willed daughter (played by Vanessa Hudgens).
Like most adventure stories, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, owes its appeal to breathtaking views of a pristine and hidden paradise, definitely out-of-this-world for its beauty. And what would an exotic island be without its share of monsters and predators? Here they are birds that in our world would fit snugly in our hands but out there would be as big as pterodactyls that hunt humans for snacks. In our world elephants would be gigantic creatures one doesn’t fool around with, but in the misty Mysterious Island they are only slightly bigger than poodles and just as cuddly!
All the elements that make for a wholesome family adventure movie are present in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: the funny schtick in the person of the bumbling pilot; the tender-hearted muscleman going against all odds to win the trust of his beloved woman’s son; the ingenious 80-year-old adventurer who lives in an enviable treehouse; the chaste and budding teen romance; etc. There are no pirates and bad people here—the villains are the distressing circumstances the group has to contend with. But, of course, nature helps, as in the form of giant bumble bees that people can ride as the blue people of Avatar ride flying dragons.
It must been intended by director Brad Peyton to be really one undemanding, wholesome, enjoyable movie where the characters elicit your sympathy and support—you root for them, you want them to be safe, you want them to be happy with one another. Definitely the whole family may see this—in case the young children tend to get scared of monsters you can quickly tell them they’re only made of cardboard. But they’ll probably shrug off the monsters and would rather focus on the giant bumble bees—creatures they can cheer for them since they look no more menacing than a hamburger chain mascot.
