Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Director:

Eric Brevig

Writers (WGA):

Michael Weiss (screenplay)
Michael D. Weiss (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Same Planet. Different World.

Plot:

On a quest to find out what happened to his missing brother, a scientist, his nephew and their mountain guide discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.

Plot Keywords:

Journey | Subterranean Ocean | Subterranean River | Storm At Sea | Quest

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Brendan Fraser	...	Trevor Anderson
Josh Hutcherson	...	Sean Anderson
Anita Briem	...	Hannah Ásgeirsson
Seth Meyers	...	Professor Alan Kitzens
Jean Michel Paré	...	Max Anderson
Jane Wheeler	...	Elizabeth
Frank Fontaine	...	Old Man
Giancarlo Caltabiano	...	Leonard
Kaniehtiio Horn	...	Gum-Chewing Girl
Garth Gilker	...	Sigurbjörn Ásgeirsson

Also Known As:

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Icelandic

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Ireland:12A | Ireland:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Malaysia:U | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG (certificate #43069) | Hong Kong:IIA | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company:

Walden Media

Trivia:

Indie film maker Paul Chart ('American Perfekt') was originally signed to write and direct the picture and penned the original script. Chart left the project, however, after a decision was made to shoot the film in 3-D, uncomfortable with the possibility it would become more 'theme park ride' than the epic action-adventure film he envisioned. The Jules Verne novel was apparently one of his favorite pieces of literature. Chart was ultimately replaced with effects specialist Eric Brevig and the script was heavily retooled to emphasize the new 3-D format.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Trevor Anderson's looking at the book in his flat, the front cover reads Journey to the Center of the Earth. As he is flicking through the same book moments later the page headings read Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Quotes:

[Sean and Trevor have fallen behind Hannah, tired of climbing]
Sean: I call dibs on the mountain climber.
Trevor: What? You're thirteen; you can't call dibs.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Hugely over the top, yet somehow still incredibly bland

I went to see this film with high expectations. The trailer looked great, and Journey To The Centre Of The Earth appeared to have everything a good action/adventure movie could possibly want - dinosaurs, man-eating plants, volcanoes and more. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, a great deal.

One thing I have to point out is I didn't see this film in 3D, and I'm sure it could have made the experience a great deal more entertaining. Nevertheless, a bit of 3D magic cannot hide what is essentially a film that falls at almost every hurdle. For starters, a good film must be believable. This isn't the same as saying a film needs to be realistic - I love films with great imagination and creativity - but after a while the constantly fantastical and illogical nature of Journey To The Centre Of The Earth starts to wear thin, and I for one found myself unable to immerse myself in the film or care for the characters. It just ended up being one big joke. By the time the film heroes were comfortably outrunning a t-rex, which for all its roaring and fierceness was barely strolling after its prey, I just wanted it all to end. I could forgive all of this however if the end package, with all its 'action' scenes, delivered something tense and exciting. But no. The dramatic music may fool you into thinking something amazing is happening, but in reality your just watching a kid cling to rotating rocks for ages, or something equally uninspiring.

Add on to all of this the fact that there is zero plot beyond trying to get in to the centre of the earth...before trying to get out again, or the fact that there is virtually no character evolution or interesting relationships between them (of course, Anita Briem's character was thrown into the equation only to serve as a half-hearted love interest for Brendan Fraser - no interesting chemistry whatsoever) and your left with a bad taste in your mouth. I know this is by all accounts supposed to be a brainless blockbuster film, but I've seen far far better films of that type than this. Disappointing.