Still depressed years after his brother’s mysterious disappearance, scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) discovers clues in his sibling’s old possessions that could lead to a visionary breakthrough beyond all imagining. Along with his visiting nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson), the pair rushes to Iceland to see if they can ascertain exactly what this monumental discovery might entail.

Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson and Anita Briem in New Line Cinema's Journey to the Center of the Earth

Along with their beautiful local guide Hannah (Anita Briem), all of them suddenly find themselves trapped beneath a volcano with only a ratty copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth to aid them on their escape. What they find is a massive primordial underground world unlike any they ever could have known. But the temperature is rising and time is running out, and if the trio hopes to make their discovery known to the rest of the world their going to have to find a way back to the surface before their goose is literally cooked.

So, I admit that I ended up enjoying this modern take on Journey to the Center of the Earth far more than I had any right to. Visually, this film is extremely appealing. First-time director Eric Brevig (the visual wizard behind such features as The Island, The Day After Tomorrow and Men in Black) does a fantastic job using new 3D technologies to their maximum impact. Without a doubt, this family-friendly adventure offers more to look at (save maybe Pixar’s WALL*E) than probably any other picture this year, and as cartoonish as much of it gets it’s all so eye-popping I almost didn’t care.

Emphasis on the almost. This movie has major problems, all of them revolving around the idiotic nature of the script (credited to three different writers but apparently touched up by others as well) that ends up making this adventure more George of the Jungle than it does Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s extremely silly, at times annoyingly so, and by the time it was over while I was impressed with the special effects I was so worn out by the sitcom-like antics of the characters I kind of wanted to slit my own throat.

Not that children are going to mind. Kids under the age of 12 or so are going to eat this thing up like no tomorrow. Granted, I have no idea how it will play outside of 3D, but within it there is so much thrilling stuff to look at and revel in it becomes increasingly easier to not quite notice the flaws. From the gigantic man-eating plants, to the Swiss Family Robinson-like tree house, to ferocious T-Rex rampaging across a crumbling desert looking for food, the film is like a Saturday morning cartoon come to life and for those who’ve not grown out of such things this one’s a real hoot.

For the rest of us, this movie is nothing more than a semi-okay diversion with lots of pretty pictures to look at. While I certainly didn’t hate the darn thing, I can’t say I came out of the theater on anything remotely akin to a euphoric high. Hutcherson annoyed me, Briem came across like a highly beautiful and energetic mannequin and Fraser is clearly just slumming until that Mummy sequel hits theaters in August.  

So there you have it. Journey to the Center of the Earth is fun on a purely visual level and completely forgettable on just about all of the others. While parents aren’t going to feel at all bad for letting their kids watch it, enjoying it for themselves might be close to impossible. In short, this might be one trip into the unknown even Verne himself might have chosen to take a pass on.

Film Rating: êê  (out of 4)

Additional Links

-  Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) Theatrical Trailer