Voyage au centre de la Terre 2 : L'Île mystérieuse

Not so much a sequel as a new story altogether comes this likable (if unnecessary) adventure about Sean Anderson, a callow youth and "Vernian" who receives an encoded message then becomes obsessed with the idea that it was sent by his absentee grandfather who may or may not have discovered a mythical island that may or may not really exist. Accompanied by his stepfather, a frugal pilot, and the pilot's attractive daughter, Sean travels across the Pacific to the island where they encounter an assortment of wonders but just as many dangerous perils. Uninspired, fairly predictable, but Johnson and Caine add much needed gravitas, Guzmán his trademark comic relief, there's some good effects and exciting moments now and again, but a subplot about parents and their kids doesn't really resonate. A good family-oriented fare, just nothing special. **

The 17-year-old Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded signal and his stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson) helps him to decipher the message. They find that Sean's grandfather Alexander Anderson (Michael Caine) has found the mysterious island in the Pacific described by Julio Verne and two other writers in their novels.

The stubborn Sean wants to travel to the coordinates and Hank decides to buy the tickets and travel with the teenager to a small island nearby the location. They rent an old helicopter owned by the locals Gabato (Luis Guzmán) and his teenage daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) and the group heads to the unknown spot. Along their journey, they cross a hurricane and crash in the island. They find a beautiful and dangerous place, surrounded by forests, volcanoes with lava of gold and menacing life forms. The meet also the old Alexander and Hank discovers that the island is sinking. Now their only chance to survive is to find the legendary Nautilus.

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a movie with a trailer that is better than the film itself. The lame screenplay begins in a fast pace, with Hank and Sean guessing to quickly the message. The story is very weak and the film is supported by the special effects only. The spoiled Sean and the rude Alexander are detestable characters and Gabato is stupid and annoying and never funny as supposed to be. Hank is multi- skilled in codes, hydraulic and electric engineering, medicine, and music and diving. In the end, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a very disappointing adventure. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Viagem 2: A Ilha Misteriosa" ("Journey 2: The Mysterious Island")

This movie lacks what it takes to take an Oscar Award, lacks the sensitivity and depth....blah blah blah, forget all that noise...go see the movie with your kids they would love it.

This movie is for Kids, and parents who have kids. I took my daughter to see it today in 3D. Excellent visual effects, entire movie had effects, you did not take your glasses off at all or you'd miss the next 3d effect that is right around the corner. The cast was good, The Rock was great and jokes were funny, this movie was child safe and had everything that your young one would want, lots of effects, action, above and underwater. I would definitely recommend it in 3D. The pace of movie is fast and if you have kids ....you can appreciate this.

I rated this movie for what it is...a kids movie. Are you going to leave the theater discussing the virtues of Plato? NO! but your kids will be going on about this and that in the movie. Worth Admission? Absolutely. Asked my daughter what she rated it....9.5 she said. Was it worth it? When your child says 9.5 what the heck else matters?????

After seeing the trailers, I looked forward to this movie. But although I am a fan of Dwayne Johnson, I cannot recommend this movie to much of anyone. It moves too quickly at the beginning. The premise is interesting but completely implausible, especially the time frame. Some of the scenery is enjoyable but fleeting. Michael Caine's character is entirely too negative. The special effects were not very realistic either. The plot was designed to be a dramatic thriller but it was so pat it was boring. I almost left before the ending as there was no mystery left shortly into the film. Also, the two young people were rather lackluster and the pilot was annoying. For something that held so much promise of a lovely adventure, it was a big disappointment.

"We'll have all the wealth we'll ever need, just as long as we're together!" Kailani (Vanessa Hudgins)

If Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a parody of adventure movies (see the above quote), then I missed the humor, for there is enough cheese in the awful CGI to make a new moon. This loose sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth happily subs Dwayne Johnson for Brendan Fraser, but neither actor should include these third-rate adventures on their vitae.

Combining Jules Verne, Jonathan Swift, and Robert Louis Stevenson, Journey 2 takes the crew to a mysterious Island where Sean (Josh Hutcherson from Journey to the Center of the Earth) looks for his grandfather, Alexander( Michael Caine). When he does find him, we find an aging actor at the nadir of his career, overacting an eccentric adventurer with fake smiles and laughs to embarrass those of us who remember his marvelous Peachy in a superior adventure, The Man Who would be King. Wait, wait, maybe Caine is out-cheesed by Luis Guzman as a bumbling Latino father of the lovely Vanessa Hudgins, playing his daughter.

Johnson as Sean's step father has his moment singing "What a Wonderful World" on a ukulele around a campfire; yes, I am serious—see for yourself. No valley low enough for director Brad Peyton to go to achieve the peak of cheese.

With an island populated by dwarf elephants and sharks and giant bees (see the crew navigate these bugs to achieve an absurdity even Harry Potter in his games wouldn't attempt), we also find the original Verne Nautilus to get back home, which is where you'll comfortably be but briefly until you check your bank account to assess how much this non-adventure cost you and your family. Or why it was worth it to see Journey 2 in 3-D when 2-D is embarrassing enough.

Better to turn on reruns of Gilligan's Island.