JACKPOT MOVIE REVIEWS: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is the perfect example of too little too late. By this I mean that Journey to the Center of the Earth was one of the few films to be in 3D before the 3D craze of Avatar, and now, a sequel, four years, later feels forced and rather dumb. Dwayne "The Rock/Body Building Extraordinaire" Johnson stars as Hank, the stepfather of obnoxious and annoying Sean (Josh Hutcherson). Sean discovers his grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine) has been sending mysterious messages from the supposedly fictitious Mysterious Island. This then turns into an adventure to find this island. Included in the ride are tour guides Gabato (Luis Guzman) and Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens). The main problem with the film is that director Brad Peyton and writing team Brian and Mark Gunn make the film too childish, and don't use the 3D or IMax to its fullest effect. A good example of the childish humor in this film (which comes fast and consistently) is a joke involving Guzman and bird droppings. Guzman, speaking of which, is more obnoxious than ever here. The only likable character in this film is Hank. With that being said, even Johnson as Hank has an extraordinarily painful scene involve a campfire and a weird rendition of Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World in which all the lyrics are about what is happening to them. Hutcherson and Hudgens are both obnoxious and stereotypical teens. Caine is way too wacky as the adventurous grandfather. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" will be obsolete in just a few weeks when everyone has forgotten that they've seen it. There are no redeeming qualities of this film, and if you never see it ... have no fear ... you've saved yourself an hour and a half of your life to do something else.