It may or may not be a coincidence that the release of "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," which is inspired by Jules Verne's book of almost the same name, falls on the same week as the anniversary of the legendary sci-fi writer's birthday. Either way, it's a good thing he's not alive to witness this contrived kid-friendly adaptation.
Much like its predecessor, "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "Journey 2" pulls intrepid boy explorer Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) into the search for a missing relative – this time, his adventurous, Verne-obsessed grandfather (Michael Caine). He is joined by his mother's boyfriend, Hank (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and a father/daughter tour guide duo (Luis Guzman and Vanessa Hudgens).
The film starts off with an impressively derivative exposition of Sean's home life in which he and Hank are – surprise, surprise – constantly at odds. This intro is thankfully brief, and it doesn't take long for "Journey 2" to catch momentum.
Intro part two goes by in a flash as Sean and Hank solve a Vernian-encoded message from Sean's grandfather and discover the whereabouts of Mysterious Island. Kids will appreciate the rush, and parents will recognize the tone in its feverish pace – it's a lot like having a small child yanking your arm off in an attempt to hurry you into a candy store/playground/random kid-friendly attraction. More importantly, the smash-and-grab style will help distract you from the eye roll-inducing coincidences that drive the plot along.
At not-too-long last, our hero and his fellow character archetypes arrive at the island. They're aided throughout by the source material of "The Mysterious Island," as well as "Treasure Island" and "Gulliver's Travels," which – when combined – collectively document this wild land of giant lizards, gold-spewing volcanoes and lost mythical artifacts.
Once you get past the cheap 3D thrills (and there are a lot to get past), "Journey 2" is not a bad choice for those desiring a big screen adventure that encapsulates big dumb family fun. Those without offspring who would rather include their brain in the entertainment, however, should look elsewhere.
Contrary to her natural state of being, Renee Lorenz is a total optimist when it comes to Milwaukee. Since beginning her career with OnMilwaukee.com, her occasional forays into the awesomeness that is the Brew City have turned into an overwhelming desire to discover anything and everything that's new, fun or just ... "different."
Expect her random musings to cover both the new and "new-to-her" aspects of Miltown goings-on, in addition to periodically straying completely off-topic, which usually manifests itself in the form of an obscure movie reference.
