Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Movie Only Edition + UltraViolet) (2012)

This movie has some really great 3D effects! Sure some of the kid pranks are in here but it also has expansive scenes where the water and landscape become part of the living room. I think the home 3D was better than the theaters. My kids have already watched it multiple times and enjoyed the special features on the bluray. I would list it as a buy if you like 3D and hate that most movies it seems to be an after thought rather than a focus. My only complaint is this insistence to make the digital copy ultraviolet...it sucks! They even now have multiple warnings on the cover saying it is not an iTunes digital copy...wake up...we want itunes/windows digital copy that we can carry no matter our connection speed.

Juvenile action films should always have Dwayne Johnson (formerly The Rock) in the cast. He has an unmistakable charm that spoofs his image and seems enormously likable. This time he treats us to his dancing pecs (yes, you read that right!) and a ukulele-accompanied version of "What a Wonderful World," but his focus is still kid-friendly family fare. No argument here! And Amazon.com has family fare!

To make an island this mysterious, Director Brad Peyton ("Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore") is once again using a LOT of Computer Generated Imaging. How else can we have puppy-sized elephants and honeybees big enough to ride?

We see:

* Josh Hutcherson ("The Kids are All Right") as our hero, off in quest of an island that seems to exist only in books: Jules Verne's Mysterious Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island. He decodes a message from his long-missing grandfather and thinks he might be stranded on an island doomed to soon disappear.

* Dwayne Johnson ("Fast Five") is our young hero's stepfather but his awkward attempt at a father-son talk is pretty pathetic. He agrees to take the boy on a trip to the South Pacific, but has no idea what the kid really has in mind.

* Luis Guzmán ("The Caller") owns a rickety old helicopter which they hire (chickens roosting in it are his "security system"). He knows the danger, but really needs the money to send his daughter to college.

* Michael Caine ("The Dark Knight") is our hero's grandfather, isolated on that mysterious island for many years and more than a bit daft.

* Vanessa Hudgens ("Beastly") is here for set decoration and to provide a flimsy love interest for our hero.

Lame dialogue like "Who's up for adventure?" and calling three guys "ladies" is offered, along with 3-D images of centipedes skittering off rocks into our laps, cherries ricocheting off the pecs of Rock into our midst, and pieces of that helicopter as it disintegrates in a hurricane. The children in the audience weren't bored and I am, once again, impressed by Dwayne Johnson's career path. He is the most unlikely of PG-rated actors, yet he consistently entertains in these goofy things. Good for him.

Buy Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Movie Only Edition + UltraViolet) (2012) Now

The writers and producers of this film were smart enough not to have Dwayne Johnson play the role of Brendan Fraiser. Sean, the son, is back and lives with his mom and step-dad in teen prison, known as Dayton, Ohio. Dwayne is intelligent and understanding. When Sean gets a cryptic message, Brainiac Dwayne Johnson helps him decode it. Sean wants to go to the Island and find his grandfather, who he thinks sent the message. Dwayne, who is trying to connect with Sean, decides to humor him and very quickly into the film, we are at Mysterious Island.

Luis Guzmán plays a local helicopter pilot who along with his pretty daughter Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Montez of High School Musical) are capable of getting the foursome stranded on the Island. Once they meet up with Michael Caine, there is some ridiculous rivalry dialouge that doesn't fit well into the film. The special effects were good. The humor and story was aimed at the kids who enjoyed the picture far more than their parents with some scenes being downright juvenile. Sean, of course, has a thing for the island girl, who plays hard to get. All this is going on while the volcano blows smokes and oozes lava.

Some cheesy fun. 3D effects...unfortunately bounce right at you.

No F-bombs, sex, or nudity, Pure PG goodness. Good one for the kids (pre-teen and younger). WARNING: Dwayne Johnson sings. 5 STARS for kids, 3 stars for the adults who sit through it.

Read Best Reviews of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Movie Only Edition + UltraViolet) (2012) Here

My 7 year old daughter and 4 year old son absolutely loved this movie. In fact, they couldn't wait for it to come out on DVD. I liked it too. It was exactly what I expected and ..... It was a lot of fun. No academy awards on this one, but I knew that going in. Listen to us 5 star raters.....it is worth the purchase. What were the people that rated this one as poor expecting? I mean..... Really?

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SURPRISE this a terrific, entertaining movie! Pop some popcorn and get ready for some good old fashioned family entertainment.

The characters are engaging, the storyline filled with adventure, fun and excitement (with a little teenage surliness and romance thrown in for effect).

The high definition is crystal clear and the 3D is beautiful.

I recommend this highly. Surely there's not an Academy Award nomination in its future... but it IS a great little family film... with a happy ending! (and a setup for a sequel!!!)

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