From the shabby acting to the average storyline, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is one of the biggest flops of the year. Whether you thought it had a chance to redeem itself with Michael Caine's participation, or not; it's a story that was edited to the point where it seems like you missed most of the important plot-points. Trust me when I tell you that the first film in this series was 150% better than this waste of film and time.
Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) is all grown up and is searching for a mysterious island where he believes his grandfather (Michael Caine) is marooned. His mom has a new husband now, and they are not getting along so well. After getting in trouble for trespassing at a satellite research facility, his stepfather (Dwayne Johnson) decides to have a talk with him about why he's doing what he's doing. Sean doesn't see how his explanation would help clear his actions, but once he shows Hank a message written in morse code, Hank is intrigued about the meaning of the message and where it could possibly lead them. Hank solves the code in an attempt to build a bond between himself and Sean, using the maps printed inside different classical books which make up another island entirely. It's of course the Mysterious Island Jules Verne had written about in one of his books. Sean believes that the island can possibly carry other secrets in itself, and decides to go on a journey to find the island and see his grandfather. His parents aren't prepared to let him go alone, so Hank pitches in to go along with Sean for their little adventure. Along the coast of Palau, they meet a tour guide who flies a helicopter and his daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens), who helps her father out as a tour guide. They are skeptical towards Sean's request to fly them out to sea, in search of an island that doesn't exist, but reluctantly agree after they offer them a sufficient amount of cash for the trip. Their adventure begins, but no one really knows what they're getting themselves into and the dangers that lie ahead.
What seemed as a promising concept, turned out to be a jumbled mess of pointless dialogue and unnecessary computer graphics that looked shoddy and two-dimensional. I expected Michael Caine to compensate for the poor acting chops of the other actors, but it seems that even he couldn't save this vessel from sinking into the depths of our mind. I absolutely loved the first Journey film, and was looking forward to seeing the same focus on scientific knowledge and the adventurous spirit that came with it. Unfortunately, they thought it was better to center the movie on a rescue mission and the blooming love of two teenagers. Corny material out the kazoo! It saddens me to see that Hollywood is running out of ideas for family friendly adventure movies, and replacing the creativity for the more profitable idea of teenage love. The movie seemed like it was edited to the point where all we saw was the relationship between the teenagers and the strained stepfather-stepson plot point. No attempt was made to satisfy the adventurers in all of us by exploring the rest of the island, since most of the second half was centered around their escape from the island. An undercooked sequel that deserves no viewing after the previous installment.
There was a faint attempt at presenting a suitable moral that correlates with the current situation that most American families are experiencing. Many children are caught in the middle of a divorce and it's never easy to regroup especially when a so-called stranger comes into the picture. Many of the kids are disinclined to accept their step parents as part of their family and may take anywhere from a couple of months up to a couple of years to accept this momentous change in their life. But what they don't realize is that it doesn't make it easier for them or their new guardians to live life when there is such an intense field of tension in an environment. The movie serves to point out that most step parents really try to make an effort to be friends with their step children and just because they do not share your blood, it doesn't mean they aren't willing to help you out or become your friend. Obvious as this may seem, the film had a really superficial flavor adding to the plot point, with the one and only thing holding up this production being sheltered by the in-your-face graphics and special effects that may look superb in 3D, but really don't add a lot of dimension to the plot itself.
This has been a pleasant review of a rather unpleasant and shallow movie. Although most fans of Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Hutcherson may throw hate mail at this review, at least I know I gave everyone a heads up for the real worth of this movie. You were warned my fellow adventurers; therefore, it's up to you to decide if it's worth it to pay for the ticket. I'm just the messenger.
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