![]() The CG is seamlessly merged with live action and most of it comes off as believable, even though you know there is a ton of green screen composite work going on here, which you can learn about in the extras. The black levels and contrast were outstanding and there were only two or three instances of artifacting during some of the darker scenes. I can only imagine how much more fun this movie would be in 3D. There are plenty of in-your-face 3D moments that sorely stand out since I was only reviewing the 2D version of the film. Journey 2 looks great on Blu-ray with a solid 1080p/AVC transfer that captures all sorts of vivid colors and detail, most of which is entirely CG. Just sit back and enjoy this entertaining family film for what it is. The entire first act is so rushed you won’t even have time to salt your popcorn before Hank and Sean are on the island, and what are the odds that the day after they do get there just happens to be the day the island decides to return to the bottom of the ocean for another millennia? It’s best if you don’t tug at this loose plot threads lest the whole film unravel. ![]() It all happens so fast the characters come off as shallow and you really don't care as much as you should about what happens to anyone. I realize this is one of those summer flicks that is designed for maximum showings at the theater, but there is a whole lot of story being crammed into this 90-minute flick. My only real complaint with Journey 2 is the hurried pace of the film. Now where did captain Nemo park that submarine? Grandfather shows the castaways the lost city of Atlantis, which rises from the sea every thousand years, but if that volcano spouting liquid gold magma is any indication, the island is about to sink and our heroes have to escape. This new film touches on the key moments from the original film with oversized creatures like giant ants and bees while elephants are as small as a dog. The cast shows remarkable chemistry and there are some believable relationships in play, especially the love between father and daughter and the growing respect of son and stepdad. What follows is your atypical popcorn action flick with CG set piece after CG set piece strung together with mildly amusing banter and family-friendly fun. ![]() The island is protected by powerful storms and naturally our heroes crash and find themselves on the beach of Verne’s island. Hank and Sean head to the island of Palau and try to hire a boat to take them to the coordinates of the island, but none of the local sailors seem willing all but one, Gabato (Luis Guzman), and his daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens), who agree to fly our explorers to the island in a beat-up old chopper. They find the location of Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island. Hank just happens to be an ex-cryptographer and together, they do what thousands of others in hundreds of years have been unable to do. Hank checks in on the boy and finds him trying to crack a code he intercepted from his grandfather, Alexander (Michael Caine). The delinquent is turned over to Hank who drags the belligerent teen home and sends him to his room. The movie opens with Sean getting chased by the police on his motorcycle and almost escaping if it weren’t for that fact that motorcycles don’t float. The Brendan Frasier and Anita Briem characters are casually dismissed in the extremely rushed first act, now replaced with a new stand-in actor for mom and a new stepdad, Hank, played by Dwayne Johnson. Josh Hutcherson is the only actor/character to make the “journey” from the previous film, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island attempts to capture the essence of that original adventure while adding its own heavy mixture of CG effects and campy comedy that is sure to delight kids much more than adults – not that this 40-something reviewer didn’t crack a smile from time to time. I can recall nearly every scene with vivid detail from the POW breakout to their ill-fated hot air balloon ride that landed the cast on the lost island to the epic finale with captain Nemo and the Nautilus. The Mysterious Island was always one of my favorite movies growing up.
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