Mostly nonsense, but funnier and more enjoyable than the first film, mainly thanks to the stellar duo who play as inspired as they are crazy.
Teenager Sean Anderson (Hutcherson) sets off on another adventure, this time to a magical island with a golden volcano and pygmy elephants. His buff stepfather (Johnson) and eccentric grandpa (Caine) go with him.
In one scene from the terrible 70s disaster film “The Swarm,” Michael Caine, upon learning that noisy insects have managed to shoot down two military helicopters, grimly turns to another star and utters the immortal words: “I never dreamed it would be bees. They’ve always been our friends.” It seemed that Caine had already played the most nightmarish bee scene of his life. However, the time has come for “Journey 2…”, where you can see an outstanding aerial chase in which the knighted actor – yes! – flies on a giant version of his ancient enemy.
Fortunately, unlike “The Swarm,” the cute adventures of this film are quite frivolous. Directed by Brad Peyton, the director of “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” i.e., a Hollywood specialist in silly sequels, “Journey 2…” gleefully piles one absurdity on top of another. The result is a comedic duo of Caine and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – as eccentric and deadly a pair as Arnie and DeVito – who feud and call each other “Mary Poppins” and “Snowman.” Singing along by the campfire makes the melody “What A Wonderful World” the leitmotif of the film. And in at least three scenes, Johnson turns out to be an expert in exactly the area needed to solve the next mystery. Including impressive soil liquefaction.
The Good and The Not-So-Good
No one will call this film great, but the episode in which Johnson gives his stepson advice on how to woo girls, and in the end, everyone throws berries at each other, will make anyone smile. On the other hand, the casting isn’t as fun. The characters barely mention Brendan Fraser’s character from “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” implying that his nephew has taken his place, but Josh Hutcherson is mostly disappointing on screen, and the fact that his character has to constantly sulk at Johnson, one of the most charming actors in the world, doesn’t help matters. The plot lines (will the heroic boy and the beautiful girl fall in love? will the dumb helicopter pilot Luis Guzman find a way to pay for his daughter’s college education?) are unlikely to intrigue the viewer.
Final Verdict
So don’t expect a second “Avatar” (although there are giant lizards here), but rather not-too-dangerous adventures, quite meaningless, but eccentric enough to make you feel touched. After all, it’s not in every big-budget fantasy that the hero shakes his fist, threatening to “give you what for”…