Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – Struggling to bond with his step-son, Sean, Hank helps him to decipher a code which unlocks the mystery of a map – an island which could show the whereabouts of Sean’s long-lost grandfather. Reluctantly agreeing to search for the island with Sean, Hank leads the way to keep the boy safe. Their tour guides are forced to accompany them when the helicopter crash lands but when they discover that the island is sinking, they must find a way to escape before they are taken down with it. 

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) – Director: Brad Peyton

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33702090

Rating: PG

Running Length: 94 minutes

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens

Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy

REVIEW: JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND

Not even bothering to explain the absence of Brendan Fraser’s character from the first movie, ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’, ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ continues the exploits of original character, Sean (played by Josh Hutcherson again) who wants to find his never-before-mentioned missing grandfather. Flawed introductions aside, ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ has an excellent pun for a title and continues in the same vein as the original with a paradise-like setting and huge beasts to contend with. Well on his way to Mega Star status, Dwayne Johnson’s lead role was well cast with his usual blend of action hero and comedian.

The dynamic between Hank and Sean is well done with enough of a conflict to give motivation to Hank’s character but not so much as to be irritating. Furthermore, the mutual insults between Hank and Sean’s grandfather, Alexander, are a lot of fun. It’s a shame that Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) is little more than Sean’s love interest as she comes across as tough and capable but is a bit too bland to stand out. The special effects are good so it’s easy to be  fully immersed in the fantasy, giant bees and tiny elephants all appear believable and, because it doesn’t try to be too teen-centric, it falls firmly in the realms of family-friendly so younger kids can enjoy the spectacle.

While this is certainly more of a movie for kids, the action scenes and daftness are also enough to keep the grown ups entertained.

CONTENT: IS ‘JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

At an outdoor market, there is a close-up of a dead fish and a second later it’s head is chopped off and its gory insides are shown briefly.

When young woman, Kailani, is introduced, she wears a fitted t-shirt and is stared at by Sean. There is a close-up of her chest for 1-2 seconds. Later, as she rushes to escape a collapsing tunnel, there is a close-up camera shot of her bottom which lasts several seconds and as she is wearing hot pants, this is quite gratuitous.

A character joking talks about ‘The Natives cooking up a barbecue, getting ready to eat us for dinner’.

There are a couple of jump scares – when a character takes a book from a skeleton, a huge millipede suddenly jumps out at them and later when a huge, aggressive sea creature disappears, there is a tense few seconds where a character searches for it, it then suddenly appears at a window.

The characters fly around on bees but are then attacked by a huge bird. It gets caught in a giant spider’s web and, as the camera focuses on the character’s escaping, in the background the spider can be seen moving towards the bird.

A character that has made an bad decision is asked ‘What the heck were you drinking?’

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND’ FOR KIDS?

Definitely for kids but with plenty for the adults too, ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ is a great sequel that will spark imaginations and keep everyone laughing.

• Violence: 0/5
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (a few tense moments and attacks by large animals, however they are mostly exciting rather than frightening)
• Emotional Distress: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 1/5
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 1/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of step-families, adventuring, and believing in the impossible.

Words by Laura Record