Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu + DVD) (2012)

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu + DVD) (2012)
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Luis Guzman, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens
Directed by: Brad Peyton
Studio: Warner Home Video [6/12/12] (3 discs)
Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 1080p HD
Audio: English DTS HD-MA 5.1 Surround; French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai DD 5.1 Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Chinese, Korean
Extras on 2D Blu-ray disc: “Are You Strong Enough to Survive Mysterious Island?” featurette; five deleted scenes; gag reel
Length: 94 minutes
Movie Rating: ***½   3D Rating: *****   2D Video Rating: ****1/2
Audio Rating: ****½   D-BOX Rating: ****
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a loose sequel to the 2008 theatrical release Journey to the Center of the Earth (which starred Brendan Frasier as Trevor Anderson).  This time around, Trevor’s 17 year-old son Sean receives a distress signal from a mysterious island.  After pinpointing the location of the signal, Sean and his new stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson) set out on the adventure of a lifetime.  Along for the ride are Gabato (Luis Guzman), the only helicopter pilot willing to fly them there, and Gabato’s feisty daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens).  Upon arrival, the group discovers a place of majestic beauty, mountains of gold and unique life forms.  “Journey 2” is geared primarily for family audiences.  It’s not very scary, there are scattered laughs throughout and the visuals are impressive.  Dwayne Johnson is his usual charismatic self and Luis Guzman is the film’s comic relief.  As this movie was filmed in native 3D, the 3D Blu-ray is far and away the better way to watch this movie.  The bottom line: “Journey 2” is a good 2D film and an excellent 3D experience.  Recommended.  [I’ve heard adults who can sit thru it should receive three stars…Ed.]
The overall high-definition video quality of the 2D Blu-ray disc is excellent.  Images are pristine with exquisite detail.  Black levels are consistently dark throughout the movie.  Colors are vibrant and rich with nicely-saturated hues.  Picture defect mastering is top-notch with no major flaws or compression artifacts.  The 3D video quality is stunning and a clear step up from the 2D presentation.  Black levels and contrast are a bit stronger with the 3D version.  Brightness was never an issue and there were no instances where I detected a loss of detail from the 3D glasses.  3D depth is exceptional and there were several significant pop-out effects.
The overall audio quality is also excellent with the English DTS HD-MA 5.1 track.  The soundtrack does a fine job of incorporating each of the discrete channels into this dynamic mix.  Dialogue is natural sounding, intelligible and correctly positioned.  The surround channels are very active and used for sound effects and the music score.  Several split rear effects are discernible as well as side-to-side panning.  The low frequency effects channel sees a good amount of action and is robust and powerful when utilized.
“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is compatible with the “D-BOX” Motion Code™ System, meaning that if you have the necessary D-BOX equipment, your movie viewing experience will be enhanced by adding both motion and vibration to your chosen seating.  This is a great D-BOX Blu-ray disc!  Motion effects and vibration are present throughout the entire movie.  Up-and-down and side-to-side movements, along with plenty of vibration, are used to simulate flight, funnel clouds, crashes, chase sequences, and even seismic activity.  The D-BOX highlights of the movie for me were: (1) the sequence when the group, while aboard giant bumblebees, was being chased by birds and (2) the sequence where Hank battles the electric eel and then the group navigates the Nautilus through collapsing debris.
—Calvin Harding Jr.