Movie Review

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” will be my first foray into the realm of 3-D movies (if you don’t count those shows at Disneyworld) and so I’ll try to keep my opening thoughts about it to a minimum. To begin I’m not crazy about the price ($15 bucks and I’m not even getting a beer or tub of wings to go with it) but I do kind of get a kick out of those cartoony-looking visuals popping out at you and having human cartoon Brendan Fraser in the movie is another big plus. Only unfortunately my first 3-D experience is nothing I care to remember.

Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, a scientist determined to pick up where his dead brother left off and find the center of the world. Coming along is his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and their sexy guide Hannah (Anita Briem). When the cave their exploring caves-in on them, their only chance for survival is to continue going deeper and deeper under the Earth. Through their journey, they encounter never-before-seen worlds and unbelievable creatures like dinosaurs that have not been seen for centuries. Time is not on their side however as the increase in volcanic activity threatens them at every turn, forcing them into a race to the Earth’s surface before it is too late.

Rainer Wolfcastle said it best, “The goggles, they do nothing.” The theater makes you pay $3 dollars extra to get these Buddy Holly glasses and you think your going to see something real special but then for the most part all you get is a 3-D version of Brendon Fraser or a yo-yo or something being flicked at you. It’s not worth it but even without the glasses this movie would be no good.

The human characters, despite the glasses, are pretty one-dimensional and the movie routinely tosses them from one obstacle to the next, never really stopping to enjoy the wonderment that this fantasy film has to offer. There are fading glimpses of impressive visuals that special effects supervisor turned director Eric Brevig uses -- a glowing bird, a beautiful looking shot of the center of the Earth, a bridge of magnetic rock -- but for the most part, “Earth” spends more time on the boring humans and their continued escape attempts, melodramatic family bonding, and their fighting of cartoonish-looking plants, dinosaurs, and piranhas. The dinosaurs, plants, and piranhas actually do offer some enjoyment; actually more of a lackluster version of awe. They don’t look half bad but they don’t come till the last half hour of the movie and by then I had lost all interest in these characters and whether they survived or not.

It’s a shame too because it’s a good cast. Fraser is always solid playing an Indiana Jones-like adventurer, Hutcherson is no stranger to fantasy either as he has “Zathura” and “Bridge to Terabithia” under his belt, and Briem is cute and likable. Only there is only so much you can say for them. “Journey” only moves them around but never actually uses them and the same can be said for the visuals. The visuals are there but they are not appreciated. They’re all chess pieces and back-drops for empty action and that’s disappointing considering this movie seemed to have such high aspirations.

Craig's Grade: C

A	10.9%
B	41.8%
C	31.8%
D	15.3%
F	0.3%