DVD Round-Up: "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" (2012) and "American Reunion" (2012)

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

The Basics: Follow-up to the 2008 hit film Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brendan Fraser. Josh Hutcherson reprises his role as Sean Anderson, who is about to embark on another incredible journey, this time with his step-father, Hank (Dwayne Johnson). Sean is prompted to look for his grandfather, Alexander (Michael Caine), who has been missing for two years, after receiving a signal from a remote part of the Pacific. Along the way, they meet up with a tourism guide, Gabato (Luis Guzman), and his daughter, Kalani (Vanessa Hudgens), who take them, via helicopter, to Alexander's supposed location.

Reasons to Watch: The cast is very likable. Hutcherson and Hudgens supply the wonder of youth and the potential for romance, Johnson adds in charisma and charm, and Guzman and Caine add comedic moments and anchor the film with their solid performances. The film was shot in Hawaii, so the cinematography is beautiful. I also enjoyed some of the special effects, which depict the upside down nature of the island, including tiny elephants and humongous bees.

The Bottom Line: Journey 2 is a solid family film, but it caters specifically to its younger viewers. There is nothing wrong with that, but older viewers may become bored with the paint by numbers plot and the predictable outcomes of almost every storyline. In addition, the film moves along at a breakneck pace, leaving little time to get invested in the characters or make sense of certain plot developments. However, the film is loaded with special effects and features "The Rock" singing and doing the "pec pop of love," so what more can you ask for?

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

American Reunion (2012)

The Basics: The eighth film in the franchise and the fourth to feature a majority of the principal cast members, American Reunion feels very familiar. Of course, the characters are all more than a decade older (and some are looking even older than that), but sex remains the central plot point for just about all of the returning favorites, but not in the way you might expect. The ongoing theme of the film, which features several mini-plots, is growing older, dealing with change and remembering the "good old days."

Reasons to Watch: Fans of the franchise may appreciate the fact that all of the major and supporting players from the original 1999 film, American Pie, make appearances. Some of the characters have not evolved as much as you might expect, but that would defeat the purpose of the film. Stiffler (Seann William Scott) is still a trouble maker, Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy) is still the supportive voice of reason, and Jim (Jason Biggs) is still having problems keeping his clothes on in awkward situations. In addition, the film is loaded with songs from 1999 that will take viewers on a journey down memory lane.

The Bottom Line: An amusing and enjoyable effort that is geared more towards long time fans of the series, as opposed to new viewers, who may struggle with keeping up with the large number of characters and figuring out their back stories. Overall, this is a reasonable effort that, to my surprise, had enough heart to make me feel very sentimental. I enjoyed it enough to want to the next film in the franchise, provided that the original cast returns once again.