Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a 2012 American science fiction comedy adventure film directed by Brad Peyton and produced by Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson and Charlotte Huggins. It is the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008). Following the first film, the sequel is based on another Jules Verne novel, The Mysterious Island (1874). The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzmán, and Kristin Davis. The story was written by Richard Outten, Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn, and the screenplay by Brian and Mark Gunn. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was released in cinemas on February 10, 2012, by Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Walden Media to mixed reviews,[4][5] but was a box office success with a worldwide gross of $335 million, surpassing its predecessor.[3] It was released on DVD/Blu-ray on June 5, 2012.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrad Peyton
Produced byBeau Flynn
Tripp Vinson
Charlotte Huggins
Screenplay byBrian Gunn
Mark Gunn
Story byRichard Outten
Brian Gunn
Mark Gunn
Based onThe Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne
Starring
Narrated bySeptriadi Doank
Music byAndrew Lockington
CinematographyDavid Tattersall
Edited byDavid Rennie
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures[1]
Release date
  • January 19, 2012 (2012-01-19) (Australia)
  • February 10, 2012 (2012-02-10) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$80 million[3]
Box office$335 million[3]

Plot

It has been four years since the previous adventure. Seventeen-year-old Sean is caught by the police after a brief chase on his dirtbike. His stepfather Hank arrives when a police officer friend calls him, explaining that Sean had broken into a satellite control center.

Hank discovers that Sean accessed the satellites in hopes of enhancing a coded signal he suspects was sent by his long-missing grandfather, Alexander Anderson. Wanting to bond with his stepson, Hank helps decipher the code of Jules Verne characters which lead to three books: Treasure Island, Gulliver's Travels, and Verne's own Mysterious Island. Using the books' individual island maps, Hank uses a backlight to make them a single island, complete with the coordinates to its location. Hank manages to convince wife Liz to let him take Sean in search of the island to bond with him, but also slightly hoping to prove to Sean that there is no mysterious island there.

They arrive in Palau, where Hank reluctantly hires helicopter tourism guide Gabato and his daughter Kailani (on whom Sean develops an immediate crush) to fly to the coordinates for $3000, as they are the only ones willing to take them. The helicopter gets caught in a cyclone and they crash into the Pacific, waking up on the island.

Moving inland, they are shocked to discover miniature elephants and giant butterflies. When they come across an egg clutch belonging to a vicious giant frilled lizard, Gabato accidentally wakes up the giant frilled lizard, which chases them throughout the jungle, on the warpath against them. They nearly get eaten, but are saved by Alexander. He takes them to a hut he built from the wreckage of the ship that brought him to the island. He has a working radio, but due to the positioning of the satellite, it will be two weeks before they can call out.

The next morning, Alexander leads the group to the lost city of Atlantis, which he calculates re-submerges every 70 years, for an extended period. When Hank discovers sea water appearing from the ground, he concludes that the island will sink in a couple of days. Their only means of salvation seems to be the legendary Nautilus, Captain Nemo's submarine. Kailani enters Nemo's crypt and finds his journal, which shows that Nautilus is in a cave at Poseidon's Cliffs. They decide to go there around the half of the island, as it is the safest way.

To cross the mountainous island, they mount giant bees to fly over a high ridge and makeup time. When giant bee-eater birds try to devour them, Sean saves Kailani's life, but dislocates his ankle. Hank and Alexander reset Sean's ankle, then the group has a bonding moment when Hank sings his rendition of "What a Wonderful World" to ease Sean's pain.

The next morning, the water has risen greatly and Hank deduces that the island will sink in a matter of hours. Gabato is missing, having gone toward the island's golden volcano in search of gold to give his daughter a better life. While Alexander and Kailani go after him, Sean and Hank head for Poseidon's Cliffs. Alexander also finally calls Hank by his preferred name, rather than "Henry", and the two fully bond.

To reach Nautilus' underwater cave, Sean and Hank create makeshift oxygen tanks and dive down fifty feet, but are nearly killed by a giant electric moray eel. The 140-year-old batteries have run down, so they engineer a way to start the submarine with the eel's electricity.

Kailani and Alexander find Gabato and convince him to escape with them instead of trying for the golden volcano. As they near Poseidon's Cliffs, the volcano violently erupts, creating lava flows and ejecting flaming lava bombs. Sean and Hank arrive in Nautilus just in time to rescue the others from the water. Gabato pilots the submarine out of harm's way while Hank and Sean fire torpedoes into the path of falling island debris. As they clear the dangers, Kailani kisses Sean for his bravery.

Six months later, Kailani and Gabato are well off, as he runs the most popular tourist attraction on Palau – tours aboard the Nautilus. Kailani visits Sean on his birthday. While the family celebrates, Alexander arrives with a book for Sean's birthday present – Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon, Alexander's suggestion for the next new adventure with the family.

Cast
  • Dwayne Johnson as Hank Parsons, Sean's stepfather and a former Navy code breaker.
  • Josh Hutcherson as Sean Anderson, Hank's stepson who wants to find his missing grandfather on the Mysterious Island.
  • Vanessa Hudgens as Kailani Laguatan, part of the father-daughter tour guide company.
  • Michael Caine as Alexander Anderson, Sean's grandfather also the father of Max and Trevor Anderson from the previous film.
  • Luis Guzmán as Gabato Laguatan, Kailani's father, who is part of the father-daughter tour guide team.
  • Kristin Davis as Elizabeth "Liz" Parsons, Sean's mother and Hank's wife. Portrayed by Jane Wheeler in the previous film.
  • Stephen Caudill as Officer Jim, a police officer who is a friend of Hank's.
  • Anna Colwell as Jessica
  • Branscombe Richmond as Tour Guide
  • Walter Bankson as Hockey Player

Production

After the commercial success of the first film, New Line Cinema and Walden Media purchased Richard Outten's spec script, Mysterious Travels, in March 2009 to serve as the basis for the film. In the story, the characters embark on a journey to a mysterious uncharted island thought to have inspired the writing of three literary classics: Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and Jules Verne's Mysterious Island. Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn were chosen to revise Outten's script. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema announced that Journey 2: The Mysterious Island would be released on February 10, 2012.

Casting

Josh Hutcherson was the only actor to reprise his role. Due to scheduling issues, Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem did not return. Kristin Davis replaced Jane Wheeler as Sean's mother Liz. Dwayne Johnson played Sean's stepfather, who is forced to accompany Sean on the trip to find his missing grandfather Alexander (played by Michael Caine) on a mythical and monstrous island.[6] Vanessa Hudgens was cast as Hutcherson's love interest, Kailani.

Short film

The theatrical release of the film was preceded by a Looney Tunes short film titled Daffy's Rhapsody, featuring Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd in the first CG or 3-D depiction of these specific Looney Tunes characters. The short film's director, Matthew O'Callaghan, noted that "Daffy Rhapsody was originally recorded in the early 1950s as part of a kids' album". Unlike the earlier CG Looney Tunes shorts that appeared before Happy Feet Two and Yogi Bear, this short did not appear on the home video release of the film it accompanied.

Release
Josh Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgens in Sydney at the film's premiere in January 2012

Theatrical release

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was released in cinemas on February 10, 2012, by Warner Bros. Pictures, Walden Media and New Line Cinema. The movie opened with a short film titled “Daffy’s Rhapsody”, the short was originally going to open before Happy Feet Two, but was replaced with “I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat” to go along with the bird theme.

International releases
  • Australia – January 19, 2012
  • Hong Kong – January 19, 2012
  • Singapore – January 19, 2012
  • South Korea – January 20, 2012
  • Taiwan – January 20, 2012
  • Malaysia – January 26, 2012
  • Indonesia – February 1, 2012
  • Brazil – February 3, 2012
  • India – February 3, 2012
  • Estonia – February 10, 2012
  • Paraguay – February 10, 2012
  • Romania – February 10, 2012
  • North America – February 10, 2012
  • United Kingdom − February 11, 2012
  • Belgium – February 15, 2012
  • France – February 15, 2012
  • Italy – February 24, 2012
  • Portugal – March 8, 2012
  • Japan – March 31, 2012
  • Venezuela – May 11, 2012

Home media

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was released on DVD/Blu-ray on June 5, 2012.

Reception

Box office

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island grossed $103.9 million in North America and $231.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $335.3 million, against a production budget of $79 million[7] surpassing its predecessor.[8][9] In North America, the film earned a $6.54 million on its debut Friday, ranking fourth at the box office.[10] Over the weekend, it earned $27.3 million, coming in third place, much higher than the original's $21.0 million debut.[11] Outside North America, Journey 2 began its run three weeks before its North American release.[12] It topped the box office outside North America for two consecutive weekends[13] and three in total.[14] It surpassed the original's total outside North America.[15] Its highest-grossing region after North America was China ($58.4 million),[16] followed by Russia and the CIS ($17.6 million) and Mexico ($12.7 million).[17]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 44% based on 131 reviews with an average rating of 4.92/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Aggressively unambitious, Journey 2 might thrill teen viewers, but most others will find it too intense for young audiences and too cartoonishly dull for adults".[4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100 based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[18][19]

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B grade, stating that "the movie flies by pleasantly, and is then instantly forgettable. Perhaps Jules Verne can explain the science of that". Randy Cordova from the Arizona Republic said: "Johnson can't save the movie, directed by Brad Peyton, from being a sloppy skip from one seemingly unrelated idea to the next". Roger Ebert, who gave the first film two stars, gave the sequel two-and-a-half stars, stating: "It isn't a "good" movie in the usual sense (or most senses), but it is jolly and goodnatured, and Michael Caine and Dwayne Johnson are among the most likable of actors".[20]

Accolades
List of awards and nominations
Award Year Category Recipient Result
BMI Film & TV Awards 2012 Film Music Andrew Lockington Won
Golden Trailer Awards 2012 Best Animated Family Poster Warner Bros and Ignition Creative Nominated
Teen Choice Awards 2012 Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Vanessa Hudgens Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Josh Hutcherson Won
Movie Guide Awards 2013 Best Family Film Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2013 Favorite Male Butt Kicker Dwayne Johnson Won
Favorite Movie Actress Vanessa Hudgens Nominated

Soundtrack

Cancelled sequel

In August 2014, Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes were announced to write the script for a third film.[21] Brad Peyton and Dwayne Johnson were expected to direct and star in the sequel, respectively.[22] It was later stated that there would be two sequels.[23] Four years later in January, Johnson stated that although a third Journey film, titled Journey from the Earth to the Moon, was intended, its development had been cancelled due to a lack of immediate interest and troubles in adapting the novel.[24]

See also

References
  1. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012): Full Production Credits". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  2. "JOURNEY 2 – (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  4. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  6. McNary, Dave (September 8, 2010). "Michael Caine set for 'Journey 2'". Variety.
  7. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) - Box Office Mojo".
  8. "Jules Verne Showdown".
  9. Subers, Ray (April 18, 2012). "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Journey 2' Wins Weak Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  10. Subers, Ray (February 11, 2012). "Friday Report: 'The Vow,' 'Safe House' Draw Huge Crowds". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  11. Subers, Ray (February 12, 2012). "Weekend Report: Moviegoers Say "I Do" to 'The Vow,' Check In to 'Safe House'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  12. Subers, Ray (January 25, 2012). "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Sherlock' Outwits Competition for Third-Straight Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  13. Subers, Ray (February 21, 2012). "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Journey 2' Still Strong Overseas". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  14. Subers, Ray (February 21, 2012). "Around-Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  15. Subers, Ray (February 28, 2012). "Around-the-World Roundup: 'Ghost Rider 2' Catches Fire Overseas". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  16. Xia, Yun (March 17, 2012). "China Weekly Box Office (03/05 – 03/11): War Horse repeat while A Simple Life shined; Mission Impossible 4 crossed $100m". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  17. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) - International Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo".
  18. Weinstein, Joshua L. (February 11, 2012). "Strong Friday Box Office Puts 'The Vow,' 'Safe House' on Track for $38M+ Weekend". Reuters. “Safe House” and “Journey 2” each got an “A-.”
  19. "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017.
  20. Roger Ebert (February 8, 2012). "Jump-starting the Nautilus with an electric eel". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  21. "'Journey' Sequels in the Works With 'Conjuring' Writers (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. August 14, 2014.
  22. "Brad Peyton Wants A More "Mature" Journey 3". wegotthiscovered.com. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  23. "Dwayne Johnson Journey 3 and 4: Writers Hired For Two More Sequels". Slashfilm.
  24. Stephens, David (January 3, 2018). "Dwayne Johnson Confirms That Journey 3 Isn't Happening". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
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