Four years on since Journey To The Centre of the Earth became one of the first films to blaze the 3D revival trail, Josh Hutcherson’s the sole member of the original cast to to return for the sequel, another adventure based around a Jules Verne novel and the belief held by some that his writings were factual rather than fiction.
This time round, it’s the idea that the island in the book’s title really exists, a belief firmly held by the now 17 year old rebellious Sean Anderson (Hutcherson) since he stumbled upon a coded radio transmission. Racing through the set-up exposition, we learn Sean’s mom (briefly played this round by Kristin Davis) has remarried and that Sean resents having been uprooted to move in with his new step-dad, Navy veteran Hank (Dwayne Johnson).
Sean wants nothing to do with Hank’s attempt to bond, or at least not until Hank instantly deciphers the code, leaving Sean convinced the message was from his eccentric grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine) who disappeared two years earlier.
Ingeniously managing to link together Verne’s story with both Treasure Island and Gulliver’s Travels, it’s quickly established that the island’s located somewhere in the Pacific and next thing you know, Sean and Hank are out in Palau, have hired a ride with stereotype tour guide helicopter pilot Gabato (Luis Guzmán) and his headstrong daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) and all ended up marooned on an island where the ecology’s all topsy turvy with pocket sized elephants and mammoth ants.
Enter the irascible Alexander to save them from a giant lizard and take them on a bit of sightseeing (Atlantis included to muddle the lost world myths) before (apparently an expert geologist as well as master code cracker) Hank declares that, after tasting the water, the island’s going to sink back into the sea within days rather than the 140 odd years Alex had reckoned on.
All of which is just an excuse to shift the virtually non-existent plot up a gear as they race to find a way to escape, throwing in a volcano erupting molten gold, a ride on giant bees while being pursued by predator birds, and Captain Nemo’s submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea to keep things moving between the father/child/family bonding messages and the inevitable romantic sparks between Sean and Kailani.
Unlike the first film, this never takes itself seriously. Indeed, silliness is ripe. Whatever the danger, Johnson’s never more than a few seconds away from a big pearly white cheesy grin, the sets look patently fake, and even on its own terms none of it makes much sense.
The-actor-previously-known-as The Rock, Johnson’s one of the few stars who can shift easily between adult and family fare and be accepted by both audiences while slyly sending himself up. He did it in Tooth Fairy in a tutu and he does it here flexing his chest muscles in the Pec Pop Of Love to ping off berries and by indulging in a touch of campfire Jack Johnson playing ukulele and singing Wonderful World. A bewhiskered Caine too seems to be having great fun hamming up the B movie nonsense, chuckling away even when there’s nothing funny happening.
While Guzman’s irksome comic relief (yes, he gets covered in goo and bird poo) makes you wish he’d get swallowed by some giant lizard, Hutcherson never quite seems to be in on the same joke as the others, it’s colourful kid-friendly entertainment with some fantastic (CGI?) scenery, exciting set pieces, a terrific looking Nautilus right out of 19th century sci fi and effective enough 3D to not make you resent paying extra. And the promise of an out of this world sequel too.
BBFC Guidance: Contains mild adventure action
LGWTC Guidance: Short on character, plot and any actual scares, but undeniably escapist Saturday matinee popcorn fun.