A “Journey” Not Worth Taking

The new family adventure film Journey To The Center Of The Earth, the first live action feature filmed in real

3-D is average summer fare.

 

In this retelling of Jules Verne’s 1864 book Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy” films) portrays Trevor Anderson- a geology professor specializing in plate tectonics who, along with his scientist brother Max, share some ideas that soiled their credibility years before Max goes missing in a field expedition.

 

When his 13 year old nephew Sean (Josh Hutches, Bridge to Terabitha) visits they go off to discover what happened to Max many years earlier. Along for the ride is hardy Hannah (Anita Brie, The Tudors) and Max’s well worn annotated copy of “Journey To The Center Of The Earth” (available in bookstores, always nice to have for Summer reading).

 

The three locate a cave leading to a passageway of volcanic tunnels down into the center of the planet to a fantastic lost world. Once there, the trio discover a world of underground jungles filled with deadly carnivorous Venus fly traps, giant flying killer fish and little blue glowing birds plus (big spoiler here) MONSTERS! 

 

Since they can’t go back the way they came, the trio need to find a new way home.

 

For first-time director Eric Brevig (the Oscar-winning SFX genius whose career spans from Total Recall to The Day After Tomorrow), finding the right mix of fantasy and reality is the trick. While he does give us a roller-coaster ride in a mine shaft, a raft-at-sea sequence and a magnetic rock jumping demonstration (all of which I thought would make a great video game), his design of dinosaurs would warrant a visit from the Great Beyond by a certain George Pal.

 

Apparently the budget for this film was not on par with the Jurassic Park series; and it didn’t go to a stellar cast. The three person lineup is marginal with Fraser the best of the lot- it looks like most of the budget went to shooting it in HI-DEF 3-D (available in select theaters) as all sort of fun things come at you including the credits filling the movie theater

 

It’s too bad that the theater wasn’t filled with believable characters or a credible script