Core (2003)

"100% Exciting!  Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV
"It was just plain fun and entertaining.  Tony Toscano, Talking Pictures
"Edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that's a total blast.  Shawn Edwards, Fox-TV

Editor's Note Weird phenomena lead a brilliant geophysics professor, Dr. Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart), to the discovery that the Earth's core has stopped revolving, ultimately resulting in severe natural disasters and radiation akin to that of a microwave--and the end of the world. Keyes' worst fears are confirmed by superstar scientist Dr. Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci), who turns to his former partner, Dr. Ed Brazzleton (Delroy Lindo), who has devoted twenty years to creating a ship that can journey to the center of the Earth. The U.S. government, whose secret experiments, unbeknownst to all of the team but Zimzky, may have caused the problem, builds the ship at record speed and sends a team in to set off nuclear bombs that will restart the core. Astronauts Colonel Robert Iverson (Bruce Greenwood) and Major Rebecca Childs (Hilary Swank), and a nuclear weapons specialist, Dr. Serge Leveque (Tcheky Karyo) are also assigned to the mission, which promises both spectacular discoveries and tremendous danger. Witty one-liners save the film from taking itself too seriously while the special effects keep the action exciting. Directed by Jon Amiel (COPYCAT, ENTRAPMENT), THE CORE also stars Alfre Woodard, DJ Qualls, and Richard Jenkins.

	Aaron Eckhart
	Alfre Woodard
	Delroy Lindo
	DJ Qualls
	Hilary Swank
	Richard Jenkins
	Stanley Tucci
	Tcheky Karyo
	John Lindley - Cinematographer
	Jon Amiel - Director
	Terry Rawlings - Editor
	Sean Bailey - Producer
	Cooper Layne - Producer
	David Foster - Producer
	Cooper Layne - Screenplay
	John Rogers - Screenplay

USA Today
"...The movie's deepest impact lies in the performances..." 03/28/2003 p.3E

Variety
"...[The] approach proves refreshing...[The] pic has a full-bodied feel given extra texture by John Lindley's cinematography..." 03/24/2003 p.25-82

Total Film
"...The 'something's not right here' build-up is snappy....There's also a neat line in humour..." 05/01/2003 p.102

Los Angeles Times
"...The sense of fun is unmistakable..." 03/28/2003 p.C1

L.A. Times 6 of 10
There is also, at least in the early stages, a lot of intentional humor embedded in the script by Cooper Lane and John Rogers. Although it ends up conflicting with the film's less successful attempts to be taken seriously, the sense of fun is unmistakable.

If The Core finally has to be classified as a mess, it is an enjoyable one if you're in a throwback mood. After all, a film that comes up with a rare metal called Unobtainium can't be dismissed out of hand. - Kenneth Turan

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
The music is perfect for this enterprise: ominous horns and soaring strings. The cast includes some beloved oddballs, most notably DJ Qualls (The New Guy), who plays Rat, a computer hacker who can talk to the animals, or at least sing to the dolphins. The only wasted cast member is Alfre Woodard, relegated to one of those Mission Control roles where she has to look worried and then relieved. - Roger Ebert

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 6 of 10
As big-budget camp goes, The Core is first-rate. If you take the movie seriously, it's an unmitigated disaster, a surefire walk-out. But, if you adjust your thinking and take the production for what it is (not necessarily what it was intended to be), there is perverse enjoyment to be had. - James Berardinelli