The
only character returning from the original film, the remake to Journey To
the Center of the Earth that came out a few years ago, is Sean (Josh
Hutcherson), and he’s placed in a new situation without any given explanation
as to what happened to his dad (played by Brendan Fraser) and his newfound girlfriend
from the first film. All we know is that he’s living with his new
stepdad, Hank (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and that he’s immediately set on a
task to track down his stranded grandfather (Michael Caine), who’s activated a
homing beacon pointing to a location in the middle of nowhere. Now, with
Dwayne being unable to stop him (or at least slap him silly and call him
“Jabronie”), he tags along, hiring a helicopter pilot (Luiz Guzman) and his
beautiful daughter (Vanessa Hudgens) to fly them there.
It
isn’t long before disaster strikes, as a sudden storm crash-lands our heroes on
a mysterious island. There, they not only find dear ol’ grandpa
scavenging about, but also all sorts of danger afoot, from large creatures to a
volcano that threatens to destroy the entire island. It’s a race against
time as they try to find a way off of it.
I
do like the fact that the sequel relies on natural dangers rather than
introducing some stupid supervillain or a subplot to set things in motion, but
that’s really about the only realistic thing about this movie. The
producers failed to conjure up any sort of reasonable CG budget, and as a
result, Journey 2 looks like a fake ride. Take the bees, for
instance. How Dwayne and his crew managed to wrangle them up is questionable,
and the fact they don’t even react as convincingly as the one in Honey, I
Shrunk the Kids — a movie well over 20 years ago, by the way — is
ridiculous. Oh, but Guzman does get covered in crap. Well, that’s
nice.
The
lack of a reasonable budget — and any kind of well meaning pacing — makes Journey
2 feel like an unnecessary ride, though kids will no doubt love it.
However, it could’ve done with more excitement and less comic moments, like
Dwayne trying to explain to his stepson the rules of love, as he’s obviously
trying to woo Hudgens. This, for some reason, involves his pecs and a
berry that comes flying out of the screen.
And
the 3D? Well, it's decent, but you’re probably better off watching the
great effects that come out of The Phantom Menace. Really.
As
for the performances, they’re modest at best. Caine’s clearly dialing
this one in, doing the most he can with the role, while Dwayne does his usual
action stuff — nothing more, nothing less. Hudgens makes good eye candy,
but that’s really about it; and Guzman is the comic foil. Sometimes I
wonder what he’d do in the lead role for a film, you know?
That
about covers it. While younglings and 3D fans may appreciate Journey
2, its lack of reasonable effects and any given explanation to what
happened to Fraser just makes it feel like one of those old 3D rides you found
at the amusement park. The only difference is it’s cheaper and probably
more entertaining. Plus you don’t have to worry about pecs.
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