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  Manisha Lakhe

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Fans of the Rock aka Dwayne Johnson aka man with the deadliest elbow will love to see their seven times world champion in this role. He’s dad to a teenager, stern yet lovable. He is funny, kind, prote …

Fans of the Rock aka Dwayne Johnson aka man with the deadliest elbow will love to see their seven times world champion in this role. He’s dad to a teenager, stern yet lovable. He is funny, kind, protective yet not suffocatingly so. He is big and strong, and yet willing to let someone else lead the adventure. And he looks good in 3D.

Wait a minute. You’re wondering if someone has paid this reviewer to say these nice things about the hero. He’s not Indiana Jones, for God’s sake! He’s Dwayne Johnson!



‘Who’s up for an adventure?’ is the question thrown at the audience again and again and if you are a parent of a very active eight or ten year old, you know the kids in the audience are screaming back,’Oh yesssss!’ at their hero, while you wish there was something stronger than coffee in your hand.



There is a predictable exchange of words between the hero and the young boy who is his girlfriend’s son, mistrust that changes into trust and a growing respect that turns into love. There is Vanessa Hudgens to bring in teenage girls to the theater, but she has precious little to do. My fear was that she would break into a song each time she appeared on the screen! But mostly I wished Micheal Caine wasn’t relegated to playing the every jolly eccentric grandfather who talks with so much enthusiasm, that each time there was a close up, you wondered if his face was going to burst into a bloodied mess of erupted veins.



Don’t let my disregard for pathetic, predictable stories put you off the amazing 3D effects. The island mythology is rather well designed and the scenery is breathtaking. So if you let the child inside you awe at Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, the mysteries of the island, the magnificent escape then you will love the movie. If you are a grown up, and wish there was a little more mystery in the island and that there was more to the story, then you’ll find yourself groaning at the predictability of this film. Yes, that is the third time I have said ‘predictable’.