FOSTER ON FILM: ‘Journey 2’ full of fun for audience

“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is the Rock’s berry-bouncing-pecks-tacular!

If this movie could be a fruit, it would be a kiwi: graspable, lovably fuzzy, verdant and tangy. The light-headed flick effervesces with giggles and has aspirations no loftier than fun.

“The Mysterious Island” concerns smarty-pants Jules Vern aficionado Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and his hunk-of-a-stepdad Hank (Dwayne Johnson). Iciness between the two incinerates when Sean and Hank crack a code sent by Sean’s long-lost grandfather (Michael Caine) via satellite. Equally spontaneous, the beefcake/nerd duo dash to Palau and book a helicopter flight with wisecracker Gabato (Luis Guzmán) and his daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens). The newly formed group heads for the “Mysterious Island” where grandpa is marooned.

Sugary as “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” may be, it is well worth the 3D experience. A vibrant palette of strawberry lava, plasma plum, light-bulb lime and uranium blueberry make for an amazing environment. Plus, the lizard-some lunges, feathery explosions, giant bees and, yes, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson deflecting berries with his magnificent pectorals would not be the same without the third dimension.

Better, the showmanship is spot on. Johnson goes out on a limb for entertainment’s sake. Apart from his ridiculous booby-dance, he sings and strikes up delicious chemistries with Guzman and Cain.

Guzman, with his falsetto pitch and countless TMI’s, charmed me to death.

All in all, “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is ideal for families and kids at heart. I give it an A! With a running time of 94 minutes, “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is rated PG for some adventure action and brief mild language.

Heather Foster is a junior at the University of Florida.