Stepfather Hank (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) hopes to bond with his wayward "Vernian" stepson Sean (Josh Hutcherson) by helping the boy find his missing grandfather (Michael Caine). They find the missing grandfather, of course, on a "Mysterious Island" populated with outrageous creatures of various temperaments and sizes.
There are times when I will stop watching (or just give up on watching) a film and start to watch the star of said film with complete and almost rapture filled amazement. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was one of those times.
The film itself is a pedestrian and predictable family oriented fantasy-comedy adventure that, as Roger Ebert pointed out in his review, is in no way, shape, or form any different from the almost countless live-action fantasy-comedy programmers that Disney put out, back in the day. While Ebert claims the film resembles Disney's programmers from the 50s, I thought the film bore a stronger resemblance to such 60s and 70s films as Blackbeard's Ghost
The film makers know that the primary audience for this kind of film (i.e. children and the parents that bring them) are not at all interested in boring stuff like plot, story exposition, or character development. They just want to gasp and squeal at the giant lizards and bees and giggle at the tiny elephants and sharks. So director Brad Peyton (Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore) doesn't waste any time with that useless plot and character stuff. He clearly remembers what it was like to be a child and have to suffer through all the aforementioned "boring stuff" in order to get to all the cool Ray Harryhausen effects and goofy slapstick action set pieces (i.e. the fight in the pie factory, etc.).
Journey 2 starts off with a goofy action set piece, one that lands Sean in a swimming pool before kicking the film's "plot" into motion. Then it zips through one of the most perfunctory "blink and you will miss it" story set-ups that I have ever seen, just so the film can get Hank and Sean to the Mysterious Island as soon as possible. I think the set-up to get to the Mysterious Island took all of two minutes. The only thing that would have been faster would have been having The Rock turn to the camera, break the fourth wall, and speak directly to the audience. "Look," I can hear him saying, "I know nobody really gives a hoot about why the kid and I are going to the Mysterious Island. We're going because I say that we're going, okay?"
Having The Rock do that would have worked about as well as what the movie actually did. Journey 2 really is that perfunctory.
But now that I am on the subject of The Rock, let me just say that was truly impressed by the man's work in this film. I will even go so far as to say that he saves it.
While Dwayne Johnson made his film star debut in the 2002 action-fantasy The Scorpion King, it was the 2003 action-comedy The Rundown where he revealed real superstar potential. The amount of good-natured charisma he exudes on screen is simply breath-taking. Also helping is that, unlike all the other beefcake actions superstars (i.e. Schwarzenegger, Stallone, or Chuck Norris), Dwayne Johnson can act. While he won't ever win an Academy Award for acting, he will never be confused with a fence post, either. He can an ooze a likable charm just as easily look like he can tear your head off and defecate on the stump where your head used to be.
The former has proven to be his best asset. For when Johnson's action movie career took a stumble (his film's have been modest hits, at best) and his attempts to be taken seriously as an actor where met with indifference, he opened the floodgates on his likable charm and let it fill the screen in a series of hit family movies. Journey 2 actually opening stronger than first film has surprised just about everybody. But watching the movie, I was not at all surprised. The Rock might be built like an action figure, but he has all the good natured charm and comfort of a Teddy Bear. His persona has become the kind of strong and decent guy sane ladies want to met, real men want to be, and every kid wants to have as a parent, a teacher, or a babysitter.
While the movie was a silly and forgettable (albeit entertaining while it lasted) piece of fluff, I was completely awestruck by the screen power of The Rock. The guy is well on his way to becoming a huge movie superstar. Believe me.
Two stars out of four.
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