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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: 148

Fresh: 90

Rotten:58

Average Rating: 6/10

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

Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Action adventure and some scary scenes

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Australian Theatrical Release:
Sep 25, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $101,653,320

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 date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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The movie proves the perfect showcase for 3D. I can't say that it does the same for Fraser.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
10/03/08
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fraser salvages his reputation as a solid, matinee-style action hero in this family-oriented fantasy.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia) | comment 1 Comment
09/26/08
Vicky Roach
Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
09/26/08
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The utopian ecosystem setting - dominated by lush rainforests and vast oceans - is magnificent to gawk at, and the 3D cinematography makes fine use of the prehistoric wildlife and unexplained phenomena.

Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | comment Comment
09/26/08
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The stars here are the novelties of 3D, which certainly make it fun %u2013 just a tad repetitive for anyone over 25, I suspect

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/18/08
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Giant fossilised mushrooms, flying fish with massive teeth, glowing bluebirds, a rollercoaster ride on an underground mine railway and magnetic floating rocks are some of the ingredients of this 3D adventure take on Jules Verne's classic sci-fi novel . .

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/18/08
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...rather juvenile...with many of its shots intended more to show off the 3-D process than to further its story line.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/20/08
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Brendan Fraser's playful force of personality rules, 3D or no 3D, one of the few funny guys who could grab attention away from a dinosaur in assault mode, in the center of the earth or anywhere else on the planet.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
10/18/08
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

It's all good clean fun: a rattling good yarn, in fact, with mostly nicely modulated performances from Fraser, Hutcherson and Bream, emphasising confidence, growth, solidarity and self-reliance.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment Comment
09/26/08
Julie Rigg
MovieTime, ABC Radio National
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As harmlessly entertaining as it is, this journey is a few screams and gasps short of a real 3D thrill ride.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
09/26/08
Shannon J. Harvey
Sunday Times (Australia)
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If you can turn off your mind, and I know that is pretty easy for most of us, then you'll get a kick out of this 3D journey.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
08/27/08
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

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.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
08/05/08
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

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
Shadows on the Wall

This flick is strictly kids' stuff, but with the 3D enticement, it makes for an enjoyable, lightweight good time.

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
07/22/08
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

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
Sin Magazine

These filmmakers understand why audiences have put on the 3D glasses, and they offer up visual trick after visual trick in hopes of keeping the viewers wowed.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/21/08
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Most of the movie, directed by Eric Brevig, is as daft, outlandish, and speedy as it needs to be, and, for all its newfangled effects, touchingly old-fashioned in its reverence for the Jules Verne novel that inspired it.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
07/21/08
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's no doubt about it: The 3-D special effects steal the show from the human performers in 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' a family film that's a fun adventure.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
07/19/08
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian 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...

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