Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D

Josh Hutcherson returns as Sean for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, a sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson takes over yet another franchise from Brendan Fraser, this time playing Sean’s new stepfather, Hank. Sean and Hank figure out that three classic books—The Mysterious Island, Treasure Island and Gulliver’s Travels—are all about the same place, and that Sean’s grandfather (Michael Caine) has found it. They set off to locate the island, and in doing so team up with tourist pilot Gabato (Luis Guzmán) and his daughter, Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens). This is moderately entertaining kiddie fare, with some decent chuckles, mostly provided by Johnson and Guzmán. Why Michael Caine decided to give it a go is beyond me; I can only guess it was to get the cash to build an extension on the house he constructed with the money he got from Jaws: The Revenge. Either way, this film is decent throw-away material for a February matinee with the kids.