Colourful good fun on the big screen, especially in 3D. Although only kids will fall for the bloodless violence and corny plot points.
Comment
07/28/08
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
61
%
Tomatometer
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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Jane Wheeler
Director: Eric Brevig
Reviews for Journey to the Center of the Earth
Grown-ups may suspect that for all the techical virtuosity, the story is just a bit thin and bare.
07/13/08
Its 3D effects aside, this latest big-screen adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth unreels like a Hollywood adventure film made many decades ago.
07/11/08
In 2-D, Journey to the Center of the Earth would be okay, I guess, but you'd be more apt to notice the cardboard characters, or the thin plotting, or the way each grave danger seems to be easily solved. In 3-D, however, it's a complete blast.
08/05/08
The first summer movie that is both: a) truly comparable to a roller coaster ride; and b) significantly worse than a roller coaster ride.
07/15/08
The effects are amazing.
07/09/08
The real star here is the pair of 3-D glasses you're handed when you walk into the theater. With them, Journey is a kick (if not much more).
07/10/08
With crisp images and depth that makes you feel you could reach out and stick your hand into the middle of the action, the movie projected in digital 3-D form actually makes that theme-park ride kind of fun.
07/11/08
Poor Brendan Fraser, he must have known he had nothing to work with here, he looks as if he’s sleepwalking through the role, not a career highlight for him.
09/26/08
This flick is strictly kids' stuff, but with the 3D enticement, it makes for an enjoyable, lightweight good time.
07/22/08
Make sure to catch this latest iteration of the Jules Verne novel on a screen projecting it in 3-D format because without all the fun visual effects of stuff 'comin' right at ya,' this journey's center will not hold.
07/10/08
Like its early predecessors, it's a nominally fun trip, but it's tissue-thin and instantly forgettable.
07/10/08
Simplistic as can be with its cliched squabbling-family dynamics offering little more than a hook for the 3-D technicians to hang their hats on. But for most audiences, this one included, that was plenty.
07/11/08
If you can get past the first 20 minutes of the film and turn off all criticisms of bad acting and awful clichés, then you will enjoy this special effects filled adventure.
07/10/08
Part thrill ride, part video game, part virtual reality, it is a lively and satisfying update of a good old-fashioned Saturday afternoon serial adventure saga.
07/10/08
The gimmickry can't lift the boats of a threadbare storyline. What the proselytizers and the investors forget is that if the characters and emotions aren't three-dimensional, the rest of the movie will always look flat.
07/11/08
Audiences' connection to this gimmicky mistranslation of a sci-fi classic is likely to be spotty.
07/02/08
The movie's manic, superficial energy [is] easy to enjoy.
07/11/08
Eric Brevig, making his feature directing debut after a long career as a visual effects supervisor, lurches from one CG set piece to the next, though he's helped along by Fraser's easy comic touch.
07/11/08
This is a fairly bad movie, and yet at the same time maybe about as good as it could be.
07/11/08
Top CriticLatest News for Journey to the Center of the Earth
March 13, 2009:
Brevig Plots Another 3-D Journey 
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
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
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...
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