While there wasn’t much demand for a follow-up to Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (which saw Brendan Fraser venture to, yup, the centre of the Earth), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island boasts one real selling point for non-kids – Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. As his T-shirt-straining stepdad is dragged to a mysterious, creature-filled island, the film is as silly and childish as you might expect, but Johnson ensures that it’s watchable through presence and charm alone. Well that, and the sight of Michael Caine riding around on a giant floating bee.
Moreover, it’s their spiky chemistry which proves the highlight, as the odd couple bounce off each other amusingly. Less likeable is Josh Hutcherson’s sulky (read: ungrateful) stepson, so it’s a good job that The Artist Formerly Known As The Rock is always at hand to offer some easy charm, whether playing the ukulele or having fruit bounced off his popping pecs. But his charm can only go so far unfortunately, as aside from the clever use of 2 in the title (it’s both Journey ‘2’ and Journey ‘To’ The Mysterious Island), there’s really not much here apart from throwaway, family-aimed adventure antics. Filmed on the same lush landscapes as Lost, the green jungles and sweeping mountains are undoubtedly beautiful, it’s just a shame that they’re often tarred by obvious CG ‘enhancement’.
