I hate to admit this. But I actually enjoyed this movie... I feel ashamed but it's a bit of goofy fun. Far superior to it's overlong, too silly predecessor this fun, energetic fantasy adventure movie keep things moving quickly. After a short but cool setup reintroducing us to the Josh Hutchinson character from the predecessor as he's escaping from some cops after breaking into a satellite station. He soon engages his stepfather played by The Rock and discovers a message from his grandfather about the mysterious island. Moving things along quickly they get there and it's filled wonders from giant lizards, mini elephants and sharks, giant bees they fly on, a gold filled volcano. All visualized in a bright, cheezy sort of CGI that is reminiscent of the 1950s monster, adventure flicks that inspired this one. Sadly, I skipped this in theaters but from what I've seen the 3D must have been pretty amazing. Of course not a lot of the movie makes much sense, but I think it's important to shut your brain off when watching it. it's a very entertaining popcorn flick. There a few laughs, some exciting action set pieces and even a little romance. And as for performances Michael Caine and The Rock leave a better impression than Brendan Frasier left in the first one, Vanessa Hudgens is fine in a supporting role and well Josh Hutchinson is looking pretty good. He's definitely a good actor and his movie star looks are starting to show. So all in all it's more fun than you'd expect ignore the cynics and go in with an open mind. 3.5/5
