A Terrible Dwayne Johnson Sequel Is Climbing The Charts On Netflix
A pretty bad Dwayne Johnson sequel movie is currently making its way up the Netflix charts. Could this be finding a second life?
If you’re in the mood for a movie that could safely be referred to as “definitely not one of Dwayne Johnson’s best,” you’re in luck, I guess. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is currently climbing the streaming charts on Netflix. As of this article’s publishing, it’s sitting at #10 on the movies chart and could keep climbing if people keep throwing it on at home.
The Dwayne Johnson movie is a sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth which starred Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, and Seth Meyers. That first movie was based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name, which Hollywood has already adapted plenty of times. However, the movie did have a fun twist on the formula, using the classic Jules Verne book as an actual plot device in the film. Fraser plays a volcanologist named Trevor and the uncle to Hutcherson’s character, Sean. The two use the Jules Verne book to look for Hutcherson’s missing father Max, who disappeared ten years earlier.
Their search leads them to the “Center of the Earth” where they find Max’s body. The first movie did ok with critics and audiences, getting a 61% from critics and a 51% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Dwayne Johnson takes on the lead role in the sequel, which came out in 2012.
In Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (get it? because it’s the second one and they’re going to the Mysterious Island) Dwayne Johnson plays Hank Parsons, who is Sean’s stepfather. Josh Hutcherson returns as Sean. The rest of the new cast is rounded out by Vanessa Hudgens, Michael Caine, Luis Guzman, and Kristin David. This time, Sean is searching for his long-lost grandfather (his family members sure seem to like to get lost), again, using novels from Jules Verne to find his location. Dwayne Johnson helps him break the code and go on the search. The island it leads them to is full of dangers, monsters, and hopefully, Sean’s grandfather.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island fared worse on the critic side but is slightly better on the audience score from Rotten Tomatoes. So your viewing experience may vary. The critics gave it a pretty bad 45% overall and the audience score is at a not-terrible 59%. Undoubtedly, the movie gets by on the charm of cast members like Dwayne Johnson, Hutcherson, Hudgens, and the great Michael Caine.
If you’re not too invested in this movie being as good as similar action-adventure exploration films like The Mummy, then you probably won’t walk away being too disappointed. And no, you won’t see Dwayne Johnson as a terrible, CGI Scorpion King like you do in The Mummy Returns. Thankfully, the effects have advanced enough to make the monsters a little more believable.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island actually ended up doing better at the box office than its predecessor. The sequel ended up nabbing a worldwide gross of $335.3 million against a production budget of $79 million. Comparatively, the first film only managed to bring in $242 million. It turns out that Dwayne Johnson and his star power really does pay off.
While Journey 2: The Mysterious Island certainly isn’t going to be blowing any minds with its story and filmmaking, it’s still going to give you pretty much everything you expect. You’ll get some action, some adventure, some mystery, some monsters, etc. If you’re in the mood for a movie like that, there are certainly worse options out there. Also, the movie is rated PG so it’s something that could work for the whole family.
Its newly renewed life on Netflix shows that people are at least enjoying it to some degree. Still, if you’re looking for Dwayne Johnson movies on Netflix, there are probably some better options. Red Notice, which critics also hate, is at least beloved by audiences with a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, so you might have a better time with that one.
We will say, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island did unseat Paddington in the Kid’s Top Ten streaming on Netflix. Which is just a crime. If you’re looking for a kid’s movie, go with Paddington first. No offense to Dwayne Johnson, but when it comes to a middling adventure movie vs. a cute and charming bear movie, it’s not going to be much of a contest.
