Journey to the Center of the Earth--Movie Review

Trevor Anderson is a scientist grieving the loss of his brother Matt, a Vernian who believed that the stories in Jules Verne's tale were based on fact and who apparently died some ten years before. Sean is his nephew, a 13 year old boy obsessed with video games and underwhelmed by his uncle. And Hannah is the one who rolls her eyes when she discovers they both called dibs on her, boy first and then uncle. But I rush ahead too quickly. Journey to the Center of the Earth is set in the contemporary period and involves an unlikely journey to Iceland by Trevor and Sean for an unscheduled, but predictably urgent scientific expedition. They unceremoniously find themselves at the mercy of Hannah, the aforementioned woman, who doubles as the beautiful subject of their competing interest and their guide. To make matters more incredulous, her long lost father also was a Vernian.

With a copy of Jules Verne's classic tale in hand, and their sense of adventure in tow, the three set out to find sensors which provide raw seismic data which could support the theories set forth by Matt and later investigated by Trevor. They are promptly and expectedly thrust into peril when they seek cover from an electrical storm in a cave on top of a volcano and the entrance collapses behind tons of falling boulders. Thus begin their journey to find a way to open air, but not before experiencing a theme park ride into family friendly, yet visually interesting terror.

This film is Rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments. Only, the adventure was not terribly intense and the moments were not particularly scary, unless the viewer is very young or especially sensitive to images of T- Rex's slobbering and roaring while trying to gobble up two of three protagonists, but with no success. For me, the most disturbing scene was the attack of the carniverous plants, especially when they tried to choke the life out of Hannah before Trevor uprooted their plans. Literally. There are other assorted scary images, too, but I do not want to give them all away. Use wise discretion when thinking about bringing children. Ten and older should be fine. Younger children might have nightmares due to some of the images and situations.

The film moves fairly quickly, thanks to witty performances by Brendan Fraser as Trevor and Josh Hutcherson as Sean. Anita Briem as Hannah, shows fine acting chops as well, but it is Fraser that steals the show, slinging cheesy lines which work because of his deadpan delivery.

The films looks good, but feels derivative at points, reminding me of one part Jurassic Park, one part National Treasure, and a few parts Indiana Jones, only without the same extent of terror, intellectual intrigue, and swashbuckling heroism as its respective counterparts. Unlike some of the other critics I have read, I am refreshed by the innocence of the film. I only wish they had managed to capture a bit more of the mystery which, even now, permeates Verne's original telling. While the production values are first rate, the story suffers as a result of its focus on special effects, which do not seem terribly original to me, rather than a greater focus on the location of where they found themselves.

Notably, there is an important moment when they grieve Matt, having found his body. They bury him. They mourn him. They weep together. It is a moment which speaks for itself and requires no special effects. It serves as the anchor which allows the rest of the tale to weave and spin through one impossible scene after another, all in the context of shared grief and renewed mutual understanding. We could do far worse than to view and discuss this scene alone, recognizing that each life is precious and that we have been given each other to love, support, nurture, care, protect, both in family and in the broader community. For that reason alone, and also for the many humorous moments I am willing to recommend this film to families, my earlier provisos notwithstanding.