I wasn't interested in seeing this film when I first heard about it. I had seen Journey to the Center of the Earth and I hadn't particularly loved that film. My favorite part of that movie was when they mentioned that they were "still falling" and screamed. Even the appearance of Dwayne Johnson in this picture didn't peek my interest. I didn't even give this film a thought until my friend suggested and put on the picture. I wasn't disappointed.
Journey 2 picks up within a year of the events of the first movie I think. Fortunately Josh Hutcherson decided to reprise his role as Sean Anderson for this film. As far as I am aware Josh Hutcherson is the only character from the first film in this one. When this movie starts Sean is being a rebellious teenager towards his mother Liz (played by Kristin Davis) and stepfather Hank (played by Dwayne Johnson). The deleted scene (that should have been included in the final picture in my opinion because it ties into the first picture) mentions that Sean is angry that he wasn't allowed to accompany his uncle (Brendan Frasier's character from the first picture) on some adventure. Further Sean appears to resent his mother's efforts at getting him to be respectful to his stepfather and his stepfather Hank for trying to be a father to him. To Hank's credit he is amazingly understanding and patient. He in fact seems to be ok with trying to gradually work to gain Sean's trust and respect whereas Liz seems to be pushy about demanding a more immediate father-son relationship.
In any case, Sean gets a mysterious coded message that Hank helps him to decode. The message appears to be from Sean's missing grandfather Alexander (portrayed by Michael Caine) and also appears to give directions to The Mysterious Island from the Jules Verne novel. Hank sees an opportunity to bond with his stepson. Sean sees an opportunity to find his grandfather and find the mysterious island. So off they go on an adventure that takes them halfway around the globe. Along the way they meet Gabato (played by Luis Guzman) and his lovely daughter Kailani (played by Vanessa Hudgens).
This film is a rare example of the sequel outshining the first movie and I loved it. Further I'm not surprised at all that they are planning a third film and am anticipating watching that when it comes out. This is an excellent family film although there may be a couple of parts that might be a little "intense" for young children.
While the whole cast was great, Dwayne Johnson was easily the best of them. He was hilarious, warm, sincere, and just a lovable gentle giant. We even get the rare treat of hearing him sing in this picture. One of the best parts of this fantastic film was the banter between Hank and Alexander. Michael Caine and Dwayne Johnson have such excellent comedic chemistry that I would love to see them in another film together.
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