Journey To the Center of the Earth (2008)

"Terrific family entertainment, an action comedy on a par with "Night at the Museum" and "National Treasure."  Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
"It's a thrill ride not to be missed.  Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
"This movie redefines 3-D. A thrilling journey for the whole family!  Eric Riddle, NBC-TV
"...everything an 8-12 year-old could want. Older siblings and parents will have nothing to complain about either.  Kim Newman, Empire
"The most entertaining 3-D movie I've ever seen.  Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Editor's Note This 2008 movie update of Jules Verne's classic sci-fi/fantasy novel uses the 1864 tale as a template, with its hero, scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), referring to his missing brother's notes on the novel. His nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) in tow, Anderson travels to Iceland to investigate his sibling's theories, enlisting a fellow scientist's daughter, Hannah (Anita Briem), as a guide. Soon the trio's Icelandic mountain trek descends into a cave and, then deeper still to, naturally, the center of the earth, where dinosaurs and other strange prehistoric creatures still dwell. After many dangerous encounters with the native flora and fauna, Trevor, Sean, and Hannah must find a way back to the surface or face being stranded miles below the earth's crust. Directed by Eric Brevig, a veteran Hollywood visual effects supervisor (MEN IN BLACK, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH clearly delights in unveiling eye-catching CGI creatures and landscapes. Presented in some theaters in 3D format, the film features lunging beasts and vertigo-inducing visions, which are effective even in 2D, while Fraser, working in the same amiable vein as the MUMMY movies, provides a human focus amidst the special effects. For fans of the ever-likable Fraser and/or the JOURNEY story, there is plenty to enjoy in this effects-heavy adventure film.

	Jane Wheeler
	Jean-Michel Paré
	Seth Meyers
	Josh Hutcherson
	Frank Fontaine
	Brendan Fraser
	Anita Briem
	Tripp Vinson - Executive Producer
	Michael D. Weiss - Screenwriter
	Tobias Emmerich - Executive Producer
	Mark McNair - Executive Producer
	Brendan Fraser - Executive Producer
	Jennifer Flackett - Screenwriter
	Chuck Schuman - Director of Photography
	Beau Flynn - Producer
	Charlotte Clay Huggins - Producer
	Andrew Lockington - Composer
	Mark Levin - Screenwriter
	Eric Brevig - Director

USA Today
"JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH is not so much a movie as an amusement park ride..." 07/11/2008

Los Angeles Times
"[Y]ounger viewers may enjoy the trip's visual tricks and gentle jolts." 07/11/2008

Sight and Sound
"[T]he digital technology is impressive, and there's fairground fun to be had..." 09/01/2008 p.64

Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "Brendan Fraser gives an open-hearted, adventurous performance as a genuinely daring scientist..." 09/01/2008 p.64

Wall Street Journal
"[An] entertaining update of the Jules Verne classic....Anita Briem, as a beautiful Icelandic guide, reveals a bright spirit and a gift for comedy..." 07/09/2010

ReelViews 6 of 10
Journey to the Center of the Earth is the first live-action feature to take advantage of the new digital 3-D technology. However, in generating what amounts to a 90-minute theme park ride, the filmmakers lost track of the need to tell a compelling story to supplement the eye candy. Despite taking its name from one of the most famous science fiction novels of all time, Journey to the Center of the Earth is as weak when it comes to "fiction" as it is when it comes to "science." This movie is an overlong gimmick, an opportunity for special effects whiz-turned-director Eric Brevig to "wow" an audience with his technical bravura. With 3-D, a little goes a long way and, in the absence of a legitimate script with credible characters, the fun dries up long before the running time has expired...Ten years ago, I can recall standing in line at the Universal Studios theme park in Florida to see Terminator 3-D, a twelve-minute sequel to Terminator 2 that was projected in 3-D. Technology has advanced so that now it's possible to have essentially the same experience in any theater equipped with a digital projection system. However, as with any visual effects tool, 3-D should be applied in service of the overall production, not vice versa. And that's where Journey to the Center of the Earth goes wrong. Like the virtual roller coaster ride we go on mid-way through the proceedings, there's something critical missing. Seeing, even in 3-D, is not the same as feeling. - James Berardinelli

Reel.com 7 of 10
Eric Brevig's Journey to the Center of the Earth would play great at a drive-in, if drive-ins still existed...Characters wave tape measures at the screen for no reason other than to make an audience bob and weave. Goofy Brendan Fraser spits toothpaste in our general direction. Fanged fish leap into our virtual laps. When a yo-yo springs from Josh Hutcherson's hands, we jump in our seats...Though available everywhere in the standard, everyday, two-dimensional presentation (read: flat as a board and about as interesting), Journey makes excellent use of modern 3-D technology and actually harkens back to campy sci-fi of the 1950s...Geologist Trevor Anderson (Fraser) and his nephew Sean (Hutcherson) follow clues left in a tattered copy of Jules Verne's novel Journey to the Center of the Earth that they hope will lead them to Sean's missing father, Max (Jean-Michel Pare)...Journey makes about as much sense as a National Treasure film and moves as rapidly. For a film that gleefully apes Steven Spielberg with rampaging dinosaurs, hurtling mine cars, and a distracting father/son complex, Journey actually equals this summer's Indiana Jones sequel on the assembly line of escalating dangers...The rattling calamity is obvious, sure, but surprisingly effective. On normal screens, though, Journey will lose its added visual dimension (pun intended), subtracting most of its fun. - Sean O'Connell