The film, which stars Dwayne Johnson, is a sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth. Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Have you ever watched a movie you loved as a child and thought to yourself, “What was I thinking?” Those are the exact words future generations will utter when they take a trip down memory lane and watch this again.
In this sequel, Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and his stepfather make their way to the mysterious island in search of his missing grandfather. The special effects department did a wonderful job of giving life to Jules Verne’s loosely adapted stories. The island is a spectacular location of imagination, with creatures of abnormal size and dangers around every corner made even better by the immersive 3D option (the movie was shot in 3D).
Even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson delivers some unexpected funny moments in his performance as the stepfather trying to bond with his adventure hungry stepson. Regrettably, those are all the positives I could find to write about. The acting from the rest of the cast, including Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Luiz Guzman, and even the usually brilliant Michael Caine were painful to watch. Vanessa Hudgens actually made me cringe out of embarrassment for her as she attempted to act.
I can also only hope this will be the last big screen directing job Brad Peyton receives. Peyton seems to handle awing spectacle well in his films, but has shown little talent for giving direction to actors.
Bottom line: The young ones needing their cinematic fix will more than likely get what they want from this adventure, and I suppose the adults can always sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures.
Grade C
Runtime: 95 minutes
IMAX: Yes
3D: Yes
