Cast: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Seth Meyers, Garth Gilker, Giancarlo Galtabiano
Directed by: Eric Brevig
Rated: PG

Two and a half Stars out of Five

What makes for a successful family film?  Is it memorable characters, a wealth of emotion and a unique premise?  Or is it simply putting enough action on screen to make sure the adults don't get bored and the kiddies don't fall asleep?  Journey to the Center of the Earth, which opens today in theaters everywhere, banks on the latter.  The 92-minute film moves at a brisk pace, barely stopping for exposition as the characters hustle through a variety of different adventures thousands of miles beneath the Earth's surface.  The 3-D element and B-list cast only add to the theme park feel of the entire enterprise, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Journey to the Center of the Earth may not be concerned with a deep story and intriguing character development, but it's quite the ride nonetheless.

Instead of taking its story from the novel by Jules Verne, this latest film adaptation weaves the book into the plot in a more interesting way.  Trevor (Brendan Fraser) is a geeky scientist whose brother disappeared years ago while trying to find a route to the center of the Earth.  When he finds a copy of Verne's novel that also contains his brother's notes, he realizes that the famed author may have been writing fact instead of fiction.  Determined to find a volcanic tube that leads to the planet's core, Trevor takes his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) to Iceland, where they team up with a gorgeous guide named Hannah (Anita Briem).  After a long fall sends them plummeting below the Earth's surface, the trio find a land that contains a beautiful ocean, magnetic rocks, man-eating plants, an angry Tyrannosaurus Rex, and other strange wonders.

Much like last year's Beowulf, the best reason to see Journey to the Center of the Earth is to experience the 3-D.  The film is being released in the format on about 1,500 screens, and it's definitely worth seeking out a theater that's equipped with the technology.  After the brief setup the film is jam-packed with CGI, and the experience is much more effective when birds, yo-yos, flashlights and monsters are flying out of the screen.  The format works perfectly for this type of film, which is more concerned with providing a thrill ride anything of substance.

With visual effects whiz Eric Brevig making his feature directorial debut, it's no surprise that the CGI is impressive.  Where the movie falters is with its story and characters, which are about two dimensions short of being in 3-D.  The script devolves into a series of action set-pieces after the first twenty minutes, only stopping for brief moments thereafter to develop an afterthought of a romance and to deal with the mystery of Trevor's missing brother.  Brevig keeps things moving a bit too quickly, and the result is a movie that has all the weight of cotton candy.

While the film offers little to chew on, there's no denying that some of the adventurous antics on screen are tons of fun.  A dangerous mine car ride straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom provides some excitement, as does a scene where Trevor and Sean try to out run a T-Rex.  However, the best sequence in the movie involves Sean jumping across a series of floating magnetic rocks that are suspended in mid-air.  Though similar to moments in hundreds of video games, the director manages to elicit giddy thrills with the high-flying stunts.  With each of these set-pieces coming one after the other and numerous things jumping at you from the screen, it's impossible to get bored during the film's short running time.

The performances are perfectly serviceable considering that the characters have no depth.  Fraser has made a career out of mugging while fleeing CGI monstrosities, and he acquits himself well here.  Hutcherson is a stand out as the slightly troubled, awestruck teen, and he makes sure his character never falls into the trap of being shrill and annoying.  They make a believable team, though Anita Briem barely registers as the supposedly feisty Hannah.  She's the one actor in the film who can't breathe additional life into her cardboard character.

If you see Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3-D, it makes for an entertaining romp that will enthrall kids and won't leave adults feeling insulted.  It may be a piece of completely forgettable fluff, but at least it provides some fleeting thrills before the end credits roll.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of New Line Cinema)