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Saturday, May 11, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ** 1/2
"Journey 2 - Mysterious Island", a sequel to the 2008 film
"Journey to the Centre of the Earth", isn`t much more than a series of
fantasy-park attractions in 3D.
It`s an adventure to a delightful location with the story leading you to parts
unknown. The place is so remote that it has been hidden for centuries, claiming
the lost city Atlantis… and, when found, is almost impossible to escape.
The adventure begins when Sean (Josh Hutcherson) a rebellious teen and
scientific explorer believes that he has picked up a coded message in a radio
signal, which is sent to him by his grandfather, explorer Alexander (Michael
Caine).
With the help of his new stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson) an ex-Navy man, Sean
decodes the message which, according to him, is the co-ordinates for Verne`s
Mysterious Island, which also happens to be Robert Louis Stevenson`s Treasure
Island and Lilliput in Gulliver`s Travels.
Restless to reach his destination, Sean is hell-bent to make his journey alone.
Hank is fun, kind, supportive of his stepson`s enthusiasm for adventure. So,
after an opportune obligatory tête-à-tête with Sean`s mom (Kristin Davis)
about bonding with her son, Hank is off for the ride as well.
They land on Palau, nearest destination to the mysterious Island`s alleged
co-ordinates. Unfortunately no one is willing to ferry them to their
destination.
It`s only when they bump into a local opportunist tour-guide Gabato (Luiz
Guzman) who is willing to take them across the formidable journey for a princely
amount, do they embark upon it.
Gabato is accompanied by his pretty daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens), clearly
the love interest for Sean.
The first hurdle in this, so far so good, quest is when the helicopter is hit by
a hurricane. The aircraft crashes on the island, which turns out to be a lush
tropical wonder, full of enormous insects, miniature elephants, giant lizards,
Gold Mountain and a blazing volcano.
They soon find Alexander (Caine), who`s enjoying himself hugely dressed as a
hunter and taking on the `Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park` type role.
The film is witlessly enjoyable, mostly, thanks to the affable presence of
Dwanye Johnson, who has a brilliant screen presence. Fortunately, he`s on screen
for the bulk of the film. The parts without Dwanye lack energy.
However, the characters and the story are competent. Hutcherson, who was in
"The Journey to the Centre of the Earth", "The Polar
Express", "Zathura" and "Firehouse Dog", among others,
is turning into a shrewd, effective young actor. The rest of the cast is left
with little more than stock reactions and exposition.
Visually, the prequel to this film broke ground as the first narrative feature
to employ the fusion System, a sophisticated digital 3D camera rig developed by
James Cameron and cinematographer Vince Pace, and subsequently used on
"Avatar".
Not surprisingly, the "Journey 2" filmmakers returned to the Cameron
Pace Group for state-of-the-art strategies and equipment to capture the depth
and scope Peyton wanted to achieve in a range of real-world environments.
The far-fetched fantasy is loaded with perils that can be dismissed off as
ridiculous - but is fun, and kids will love it.
In this follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” the new 3D family adventure “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” begins when young Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson, reprising his role from the first film) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. It’s a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret.
Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.
“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” is directed by Brad Peyton (“Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”). It also stars Michael Caine as Sean’s grandfather, Alexander Anderson, and Kristin Davis as Sean’s mom, Liz Anderson.
The film is produced by Beau Flynn & Tripp Vinson, and Charlotte Huggins from a screenplay by Brian Gunn & Mark Gunn, screen story by Richard Outten. Serving as executive producers are Michael Bostick, Evan Turner, Marcus Viscidi, Richard Brener, Samuel J. Brown and Michael Disco.David Tattersall (“Gulliver’s Travels”) is the director of photography; Bill Boes (“Fantastic Four”), the production designer; Denise Wingate (“Wedding Crashers”), the costume designer; and Academy Award© nominee Boyd Shermis (“Poseidon”), the visual effects supervisor
“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is a New Line Cinema presentation, a Walden Media and Contrafilm production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
