| Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Brad Peyton |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
|
| Based on | The Mysterious Island byJules Verne |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Tattersall |
| Edited by | David Rennie |
| Music by | Andrew Lockington |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $79 million[3] |
| Box office | $335.3 million[3] |
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a 2012 Americanscience fantasyaction-adventure film[4] serving as a standalone sequel toJourney to the Center of the Earth (2008), and based onJules Verne's novelThe Mysterious Island (1875); like its predecessor, Verne's novel exists within the film's universe. Directed byBrad Peyton from a script byBrian andMark Gunn, it starsDwayne Johnson,Michael Caine,Josh Hutcherson,Vanessa Hudgens,Luis Guzmán, andKristin Davis. The story follows Sean Anderson who, after receiving a distress call from his long-lost grandfather, mounts a rescue to a mysterious island with help from his militaristic stepfather and the crew of a helicopter tour.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was released in theaters on February 10, 2012, byWarner Bros. Pictures. It received mixed reviews, but was a box office success with a worldwide gross of $335 million, surpassing its predecessor.[3]
Four years after hisadventure in the center of the Earth, 17-year-old Sean Anderson is caught by police following a high-speed dirt bike pursuit that ends in a neighbor's swimming pool. His stepfather, Hank Parsons, intervenes to keep him out of juvenile detention.
Sean had broken into a satellite facility to boost a coded signal he believes was sent by his long-missing grandfather, Alexander. Hank helps him decode the message, which leads them to three classic novels—Treasure Island,Gulliver's Travels, andThe Mysterious Island—and a set of coordinates pointing to a location in the South Pacific.
Traveling toPalau, they hire helicopter pilot Gabato Laguatan and his daughter Kailani to fly to the coordinates. Acyclone storm crashes them onto the mysterious island, where they encounterminiature elephants, giantbutterflies, and other unusual fauna.
They are soon rescued by Alexander, who has been living on the island for years. He reveals they are on the legendary Mysterious Island, which rises and sinks every 70 years. While Alexander believes they have time, Hank finds signs that the island will sink in a matter of days.
To escape, they seek the submarineNautilus, hidden in an underwater cave atPoseidon's Cliffs. With Kailani's help, they locateCaptain Nemo’s journal and identify the sub’s location. The group travels on giantbees to reach the site but are attacked bybee-eating birds. Sean is injured saving Kailani, and the group briefly rests.
Gabato, enticed by the island’s gold, goes missing. While Alexander and Kailani retrieve him from the eruptingvolcano, Sean and Hank dive to the cave, evading a giantelectric eel, and restartNautilus using the eel’s bioelectric charge.
They rescue the others just as the island sinks. Gabato pilots the submarine to safety, while Hank and Sean defend it from volcanic debris. Months later, Gabato operates a successful tourist business aboardNautilus, and Kailani visits Sean on his birthday. Alexander arrives withFrom the Earth to the Moon, suggesting it as their next adventure.
After the commercial success of the first film,New Line Cinema andWalden Media purchasedRichard 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'sTreasure Island,Jonathan Swift'sGulliver's Travels, andJules Verne'sMysterious Island. Brian Gunn andMark Gunn were chosen to revise Outten's script.Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line announced thatJourney 2: The Mysterious Island would be released on February 10, 2012.
Josh Hutcherson, who plays Sean, is the only actor to reprise his role fromJourney to the Center of the Earth. The only other returning character is Sean's mother Liz, withKristin Davis replacing Jane Wheeler in the role.Dwayne Johnson played Sean's stepfather, who is accompanies Sean on the trip to find his missing grandfather Alexander, played byMichael Caine, on a mythical and monstrous island.[5]Vanessa Hudgens was cast as Hutcherson's love interest, Kailani.
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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was released theatrically on February 10, 2012, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was accompanied by a 3DLooney Tunes short titledDaffy's Rhapsody.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was released on DVD/Blu-ray on June 5, 2012.
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[6] surpassingits predecessor.[7][8] In North America, the film earned a $6.54 million on its debut Friday, ranking fourth at the box office.[9] Over the weekend, it earned $27.3 million, coming in third place, much higher than the original's $21.0 million debut.[10] Outside North America,Journey 2 began its run three weeks before its North American release.[11] It topped the box office outside North America for two consecutive weekends[12] and three in total.[13] It surpassed the original's total outside North America.[14] Its highest-grossing region after North America was China ($58.4 million),[15] followed by Russia and the CIS ($17.6 million) and Mexico ($12.7 million).[16]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 45% based on 133 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads: "Aggressively unambitious,Journey 2 might thrill tween viewers, but most others will find it too intense for young audiences and too cartoonishly dull for adults."[17] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average".[18] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment 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".[20] Randy Cordova from theArizona 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".[21]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".[22]
| 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 |
In August 2014,Carey Hayes andChad Hayes were announced to write the script for a third film.[23]Brad Peyton and Dwayne Johnson were expected to direct and star in the sequel, respectively.[24] It was later stated that there would be two sequels.[25] By January 2018 however, Johnson stated despite the financial success ofThe Mysterious Island, and although a third film titledJourney 3: from the Earth to the Moon (based onthe 1865 novel) was intended, its development had been cancelled due to a lack of immediate interest and troubles in adequately adapting the novel.[26] Despite this, reports from Hollywood production insiders arose in August 2020, stating that a sequel was once again in development. In December 2021, Hiram Garcia confirmed that Warner Bros. Pictures wants a sequel film, thoughSeven Bucks Productions decided to delay development in favor of pursuing other projects.[27]
