Rated PG for some adventure action, and brief mild language.
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens and Luis Guzman
Directed by Brad Peyton
Are you up for an adventure?
Then check out the family adventure Journey 2: The Mysterious Island begins when seventeen-year-old Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. Unable to stop him from tracking the signal to its source, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest that will take them first to the South Pacific, and then to a place few people have ever seen…or lived to tell about. It’s a place of stunning beauty, strange and threatening life forms, volcanoes, mountains of gold and more than one astonishing secret. Together with Gabato (Luis Guzmán), the only helicopter pilot willing to risk the trip, and his daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue Sean’s grandfather, Alexander (Michael Caine) and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island underwater and bury its treasures forever.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love taking my family to the theaters and getting some of that overpriced popcorn and pop. It’s even better when we see a movie that we all enjoy, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was one of those movies. It is an adventure story that has a perfect balance between action and humor.
The cast is extremely likeable with Johnson and Cain leading the way. Their playful banter adds lots of laughs throughout the movie. And most kids love the younger stars (Josh Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgens).
The special effects/3-D effects are wildly entertaining, everything from the plane crash to the island itself…even the peck pop of love.
The only real negative is Vanessa Hudgens and her outfit. Now compared to Megan Fox, she looks like a nun, but I’m not going to compare her to Megan Fox. This is a PG movie and I wish her shirt and shorts had a little more material to them.
This is a fun-filled, action-packed adventure movie for the whole family…I give it a “Theater Worthy.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
As I mentioned earlier, the only negative in this movie is Vanessa Hudgens’ outfit.
Conversation Starter:
- At the beginning of the movie, what was the relationship between Sean and Hank like? Why do you think it was like that?
- What were some of the things that Hank did to help the relationship?
- By the end of the movie, what does their relationship look like?
- There are basically two things which God expects and demands from children. The first one is the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) to HONOR your father and your mother. What do you think that means?
- Compare Malachi 1:6. The word “honor” means “to treat with honor or respect, to value them, to honor them because of who they are, to reverence them (Hebrews 12:9), to be respectful, not to be disrespectful or discourteous or rude.
- The second comes from Paul (Ephesians 6:1), “Children, OBEY your parents.” Not only must parents be honored, they must be obeyed!
- How did Sean do with these two duties at the beginning of the film?
- How are you doing with those two duties?
- What are some things you can do this week to improve those areas?
