"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" Continues the Weak Jules Verne-Inspired Adventures of 2008's "Journey to the Center of the Earth"

Ron Phillips

Look! Up in the sky! It's a crap movie!

Related Content

• Vanilla Ice In Midst of Some Sort of Eco-Juggalo Renaissance, Might Renovate The Rock's House
  March 14, 2012
• "The Hunger Games" Rages Against Our Stupid Culture and Becomes Part of the Problem
  March 22, 2012
• "Beastly" Movie Review: A Corny Take on "Beauty and the Beast"
  March 3, 2011
• "Faster" a B-grade Revenge Flick for a Sharp-dressed Dwayne Johnson
  November 25, 2010
• Michael Caine's Company Not Enough to Carry "Harry Brown"
  May 13, 2010

More About

• Jules Verne
• Vanessa Hudgens
• Michael Caine
• Movie Stars
• Celebrity News

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island continues the weak Jules Verne-inspired adventures of 2008's Journey to the Center of the Earth. The production design appears inspired by Yes album covers and Candy Land. Of the original cast and major crew, only Josh Hutcherson, as Sean, a sulky teenaged Vernian, returns. Sean is particularly moody around his stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), who tries to connect with his charge by showing off his Navy code-breaking skills, deployed when the kid needs to decipher the whereabouts of his explorer granddad (Michael Caine). The old guy is living 100 miles off the coast of Palau, a destination Sean and Hank reach with the help of charter pilot Gabato (Luis Guzmán, clowning endlessly) and his daughter, Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens, introduced rack first). Lifting plot threads from not only Verne but also Swift and Robert Louis Stevenson, screenwriters Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn still have trouble scripting action sequences or dialogue that rises above the"Let's do this" level.