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Movies / On DVD / Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth

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Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

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Reviews Counted:149

Fresh:91

Rotten:58

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: Modern visuals and an old fasioned storyline make this family adventure/comedy a fast-paced, kitschy ride.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for intense adventure action and some scary moments.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:11-07-2008

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Jane Wheeler

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Jane Wheeler

Director: Eric Brevig

Director: Eric Brevig
Screenwriter: Michael Weiss, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Producer: Charlotte Huggins, Beau Flynn
Composer: Andrew Lockington
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for Journey to the Center of the Earth

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Grown-ups may suspect that for all the techical virtuosity, the story is just a bit thin and bare.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment 1 Comment
07/13/08
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext

Colourful good fun on the big screen, especially in 3D. Although only kids will fall for the bloodless violence and corny plot points.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/28/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

[Not] the worst way to kill a few hours. Just think of it more as an E-Ticket attraction and less as an actual movie.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
07/09/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

As it is with alot of gimmick movies, there is just not enough material to even sustain 90 minutes.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment 2 Comments
07/21/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

Journey relentlessly dishes out the action and offers the bespectacled audience plenty of goopy, grabby 3-D jolts, but it all resembles a run of the mill video game. Brevig can't shake the material loose from its unbridled artificiality.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
07/10/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
Sci-Fi Movie Page

It's as if the filmmakers added the 3-D element because they knew the movie would be too boring to be released without it.

Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment Comment
07/11/08
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever

Audiences' connection to this gimmicky mistranslation of a sci-fi classic is likely to be spotty.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
07/02/08
Chad Greene
Chad Greene
Boxoffice Magazine

It's mostly for videogame fans who wish movies were more like videogames.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment 2 Comments
07/11/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Flat and predictable, though the visuals are often striking.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
07/11/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

Brendan Fraser is stuck inside Journey to the Center of the Earth, a movie with precious little new to say about journeys, centers, or -- amazingly -- action.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
07/11/08
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

If you're under eight and never saw "Land of the Lost" on TV, maybe...

comment Comment
07/12/08
David Poland
David Poland
Movie City Geek

Seems more like a theme-park ride than a movie.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 2 Comments
07/12/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Briskly paced but soulless where it counts, the film acts as empty spectacle that, when it all comes down to it, isn't particularly spectacular.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
07/10/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Meant as a non-stop roller-coaster ride, it mistakes spectacle for energy, fancy effects for wonder, and a lazy meta-plot for a clever update of a classic.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
07/10/08
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

3D is a nice twist for what basically is a made for TV family movie. Think of it as Jules Verne light.

Full Review Source: Outtakes With Fiore | comment Comment
07/09/08
Fiore Mastracci
Fiore Mastracci
Outtakes With Fiore

Without the 3-D effects it is a rather ordinary movie

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
07/15/08
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

Brevig does a barely competent job of imitating the Indiana Jones movies, and seems more hindered than helped by his chosen format...

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
09/26/08
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)

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.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment 2 Comments
07/10/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

It's all curiously uninvolving, and it's only Fraser's goofy grin and slapstick physicality that hold any character interest whatsoever.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
09/26/08
Jarrod Walker
Jarrod Walker
FILMINK (Australia)

Director Eric Brevig (a special-effects whiz who helped create Disneyland's Captain EO) overuses the 3-D gimmick. A yo-yo bit is repeated so many times it's annoying.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
07/11/08
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Journey to the Center of the Earth

March 13, 2009: Brevig Plots Another 3-D Journey Opens in new window
Thanks to a $240 million worldwide gross and some healthy DVD numbers, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" will be getting a sequel, with Eric Brevig back in the director's chair. More...

February 25, 2009: Eric Brevig Directing Yogi Bear Opens in new window
One 3-D project deserves another, so Eric Brevig will go from directing "Journey to the Center of the Earth" to Warner Bros.' 3-D live-action/CGI "Yogi Bear" feature. More...

January 06, 2009: Academy Names Shortlist for Visual Effects Oscar Opens in new window
The Academy has narrowed its choices for this year's visual effects Oscar, naming "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D,"... More...

October 27, 2008: RT on DVD: Zombie Strippers, Meet Kit Kittredge!
For the week leading up to All Hallow's Eve, there's a surprising dearth of new horror releases hitting DVD. Rest assured, though, titillation and scares can be found in a trio... More...

See All

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