MOVIE NEWS: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Editor’s note: we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for a word from OWL assistant editor, Kendra Brown. (Craig will be back next week.) Enjoy!
Okay, blog readers, who’s ready for an adventure? Well, not a real adventure… a 3-D one on the big screen! Journey 2: The Mysterious Island hits theatres today, and since I got a chance to see it earlier this week, I’m here to tell you about it.
The movie is a sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, which also starred Josh Hutcherson as Sean Anderson. Four years after his first adventure, Sean receives a distress signal from a mysterious island and becomes convinced it’s from his missing grandfather. So he sets off on a quest to find him… and the strange island he’s read about in classic books by Jules Verne, Jonathan Swift, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Along for the journey are Sean’s stepfather, Hank, and Gabato and Kailani (played by Vanessa Hudgens), a father and daughter from the first stop on their quest: Palau. Although Sean is convinced the island exists, Hank, Gabato, and Kailani aren’t so sure — until their helicopter crash-lands on it during a storm. As the frightened foursome start to discover all of the strange creatures, lost cities, and secrets lurking on the island, they also start to realize how slim their chances of surviving are. Will they be able to find Sean’s grandfather and make it off the island alive? You’ll have to watch to find out!
Here are a few observations about the movie:
1) It’s fantastical. The plot of this movie is pretty far-fetched, but I think that’s part of the fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to find a mysterious island, home to miniature elephants and mountains of gold? I know I would. But in order to enjoy the movie, you have to be able to suspend your disbelief. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself saying things like, “Yeah, right!” (Which, I admit, I did a few times.)
2) It’s action-packed. This flick is full of adventure from the very start. And in this case, I think the 3-D adds to the experience. (I know, we don’t say that very often anymore.) From a battle with a larger-than-life lizard to a flight on the backs of some seriously big bumblebees, the 3-D technology makes these scenes jump right off the screen. It’s literally in-your-face action.
3) It’s funny. In between all of the action and adventure — and even during it — there are lots of laughs. Hank and Gabato provide most of the comedy with plenty of silly one-liners. Plus, watching the cast take a ride on the back of a giant bee is pretty funny in itself.
Overall, I thought this movie was a fun one. It may not win any Academy Awards, but if 3-D action and adventure are what you’re after, then this movie may just be for you!
What do you think? Will you go see this movie? If you do, come back and share your thoughts!
Kendra, owlblog@owlkids.com
