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Back in college I saw a short film that inspired one of my favourite scripts that I've written. It was about a little dead girl who wanted to have a friend so she killed the boy next door. It felt like a tribute to Tim Burton and was unique enough to grab my attention. Flash forward 8 years and Brad Peyton, the director, gets a big budget Hollywood film; Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. Big opportunity, so take it, why not? 2 years later he would direct The Rock in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. I'm assuming the two hit it off extremely well because Peyton directed the Rock in San Andreas and Rampage as well. None of these movies had the spirit, originality or creativity of his short film.
Journey 2 is something that I can see myself loving if I were a kid. It's got a charismatic lead with The Rock, a comedic old-timer with My Cocaine an exotic beauty in Vanessa Hudgens and the hilarity of Luis Guzmán. On top of that, the adventure is a amalgamation of numerous other adventure tales. You've got the mysterious island, captain nemo, Atlantis, Poseidon, etc. Kid me would eat this movie up.
Adult me recognizes the films faults, abuse of in your face 3D, the obvious set pieces and lack of a strong cohesive script. I'll shut my brain off for an hour and a half and enjoy the Rock's smoulder, but I'm not going to smile when he deflects berries off his pecs. This feels like a Land of the Lost episode and an excuse to get creative with CGI, which doesn't always look great. No matter how good you are, having My Cocaine ride a giant bumblebee will never look realistic.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Back in college I saw a short film that inspired one of my favourite scripts that I've written. It was about a little dead girl who wanted to have a friend so she killed the boy next door. It felt like a tribute to Tim Burton and was unique enough to grab my attention. Flash forward 8 years and Brad Peyton, the director, gets a big budget Hollywood film; Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. Big opportunity, so take it, why not? 2 years later he would direct The Rock in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. I'm assuming the two hit it off extremely well because Peyton directed the Rock in San Andreas and Rampage as well. None of these movies had the spirit, originality or creativity of his short film.
Journey 2 is something that I can see myself loving if I were a kid. It's got a charismatic lead with The Rock, a comedic old-timer with My Cocaine an exotic beauty in Vanessa Hudgens and the hilarity of Luis Guzmán. On top of that, the adventure is a amalgamation of numerous other adventure tales. You've got the mysterious island, captain nemo, Atlantis, Poseidon, etc. Kid me would eat this movie up.
Adult me recognizes the films faults, abuse of in your face 3D, the obvious set pieces and lack of a strong cohesive script. I'll shut my brain off for an hour and a half and enjoy the Rock's smoulder, but I'm not going to smile when he deflects berries off his pecs. This feels like a Land of the Lost episode and an excuse to get creative with CGI, which doesn't always look great. No matter how good you are, having My Cocaine ride a giant bumblebee will never look realistic.