At first glance, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a sequel with not much going for it. A follow-up to the Brendan Fraser-starring Journey To The Center of the Earth, it has precious few of the original ingredients in place, and it's also hampered by the fact that it's in 3D isn't the novelty it was first time around. When the first film came around, after all, Avatar was still some way away from release.

However, count Journey 2: The Mysterious Island as a really fun surprise. The 3D still works, and the glistening Blu-ray transfer does the bright picture real justice. But it's the delivering of an action adventure that all the family can genuinely get something out of that's perhaps the real achievement here. The casting of The Rock, or Dwayne Johnson if you prefer, is the first of many smart moves here. Michael Caine is on board too, along with Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Hutcherson. And it's a broad company who have a lot of fun with the material.

It's loosely based around the work of Jules Verne but generally, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is mainly an excuse for special effects, action, humour, and The Rock popping his pecs. You'll fully understand once you've seen the film. It's a fun piece of matinee cinema, and a comfortable improvement on the first movie. --Jon Foster