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75
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Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
The movie flies by pleasantly, and is then instantly forgettable. Perhaps Jules Verne can explain the science of that.
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63
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Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This is transcendently goofy. It isn't a "good" movie in the usual sense (or most senses), but it is jolly and good-natured, and Michael Caine and Dwayne Johnson are among the most likable of actors.
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63
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USA Today Claudia Puig
It's a thoroughly family-friendly film, with a subtle message about the importance of father figures. Don't expect anything resembling believability, but enjoy the blend of strikingly colorful visuals and banter between odd couple Johnson and Caine, which combine for a mild escapist treat.
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60
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New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
If there's a book-loving adventuress or adventurer in your house younger than 10, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island provides a lighthearted break from the death-obsessed "Harry Potter" franchise and other literary but limp adventures like the "Narnia" films and "The Lightning Thief."
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50
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The New York Times Neil Genzlinger
This kind of movie is all about the special effects. They start out great - cool helicopter crash, very convincing giant lizard - but grow more amateurish as the film goes along, with a flight sequence on giant bees proving particularly clunky.
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50
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The Hollywood Reporter
As the band of adventurers skips from one supersized Survivor-like challenge to the next, one can't help feeling the creative potential of Verne's vision is wasted.
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40
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Wall Street Journal John Anderson
The island locale rings with reggae music regardless of its proximity to Jamaica, and any action sequence is rendered in painfully deliberate slo-mo.
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38
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Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Even by the unambitious standards of some children's movies and many movies that star Caine, this one has a difficult time making a case for itself as anything other than an adventure in baby-sitting.
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25
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San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli
For a time, Journey 2 becomes a lost episode of "Lost," then it becomes "King Kong," minus the ape. Then it becomes a ukulele music video featuring the Rock's take on Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "What a Wonderful World."
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0
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Washington Post
The movie's flexibility with its own rules would be less noticeable if it were busy thrilling us.
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company.