Movie Review: Journey 2 - The Mysterious Island

I loved Journey to the Center of the Earth when it was released back in 2008. It was one of the first movie that utilises 3D technology back then. It was definitely a fun movie to watch in 3D. And I'm a fan of Brendan Fraser since the Mummy movies. He manage to be both an action and comedic hero. Ever since the first Journey hit $100 million at the box office, I was hoping they'd come out with a sequel. I followed every development of the sequel since then. And it's finally here! We Malaysian even get it a month ahead of the US release. Read my review after the break...

The movie is loosely based on Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island. Journey 2 only brought back Josh Henderson from the first movie. He continues his role as Sean Anderson looking for his grandfather, Alexander (Michael Caine), when he sends a distress signal via satellite. With the help of his step-father Hank (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson), Sean discovers that his grandfather is on a mysterious island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They set off to Palau, with Hank hoping the trip would bond their relationship, and met with Gabato (Luis Guzman) and Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) who were the only people that would dare to take the two throught the stormy weather of where they're headed. Their helicopter crash landed 'successfully' on the island discovering the magical world of the Mysterious Island as described by Jules Verne in his book. Once there, they manage to find Sean's grandfather, who brought them to the lost city of Atlantis. There they discovered that the island is slowly sinking due to the unstable movements of the earth. From there, they set out to escape from the island through any means possible.

I hadn't been watching movies in 3D as they were expensive and the effects weren't that worth paying more than the 2D version. However, after the first movie, I know I definitely have to watch this one in 3D. I even watched it on a bigger screen at an IMAX theatre. The selling point here is not necessarily the storyline, although it does have sufficient character development. It's more the 3D effects it sets out to offer. There are a lot of scenes where you feel like you are there on the island trying to reach out the objects that flies or flings towards you. It does feel like a theme park ride in a way. But that's not a bad thing, 'cause that's what I want in a 3D movie. I really had as much fun as watching the first movie. I wished Brendan Fraser was in it but Luis Guzman and Dwayne Johnson provided enough laughs to make you love the characters as well. As a conclusion, Journey 2 is a great adventure movie that you have to only watch in 3D to really enjoy it. Look forward to a fun time with the family on this one. So go watch it so that they'll start making the sequel which they hinted in the movie!

Link to the official Journey 2 site