3-D effects rule 'Center of the Earth' in update of Jules Verne classic
"Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" becomes the first motion picture to be shot and released in digital 3D. It also marks the feature directorial debut of Eric Brevig, a veteran special effects artist who's worked on big-budget, effects-stuffed movies such as "Pearl Harbor" and "Total Recall."
So, it's probably no great surprise to learn that this "Journey" doesn't excel in drama, characters or script. But get ready to duck! Brevig hurls every 3-D trick his team can stuff into the story: lurching yo-yos, carnivorous flying fish, a rampaging T-rex and a succession of pointed objects. In this family-friendly adventure, the simple act of Brendan Fraser brushing his teeth becomes a major 3-D event.
Not since carnival barker Reggie Rymal smacked that paddle ball right into our faces during Andre De Toth's 1953 3-D horror film "House of Wax" have three-dimensional effects been employed with such unbridled zeal. Which is why I'm recommending that you check your local theaters to be sure you're getting the 3-D version of "Journey." Otherwise, you might be buying tickets for the movie in regular 2-D, and that would stand for "dramatically deficient."
"Journey" cleverly updates Jules Verne's 1864 science-fiction novel with a contemporary twist. His story turns out to be anything but fiction. Supposedly, it's a real report of one man's journey to the core of our planet where underground lakes exist with man-eating plants and hungry dinosaurs.
At first, boring college professor Trevor Anderson (Fraser) doesn't buy any of that. All he knows is that his brother Max disappeared in 1997 trying to prove Verne's book was factual. Stuck with declining enrollments and an administrator (Seth Meyer) anxious to claim his department, Trevor thinks things can't get worse.
Then his cranky, antisocial 13-year-old nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson in top moody form) shows up to stay for several weeks. Trevor forgot he promised Sean's mother he'd take care of him. Then Trevor discovers Max's notes scribbled in the margins of his copy of Verne's book and determines the path to the earth's center can be found - in Iceland.
Off he goes, with a protesting Sean in tow. He protests up to the point when Trevor hires an Icelandic beauty named Hannah (Anita Briem), the daughter of one of Max's associates, to be their guide.
"I get dibs on the guide!" Sean shouts.
"Thirteen-year-olds don't get dibs!" Trevor replies.
We don't get much time to digest the odd romantic tug-of-war between a new teen and a 40-year-old for the attentions of a twentysomething field guide. Once the trio locates a volcanic tube, a direct pathway to the inner world, "Journey" puts the spurs to the action sequences and away we go.
If the stunts in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" seem far-fetched, the ones in "Journey" skirt sheer cartoon. A ride on runaway cars in a coal mine turns into a cheap "Temple of Doom" roller coaster knockoff. (When did mines ever have miles and miles of parallel tracks?) Falls and slides recall the antics of "The Goonies." A provocative sequence involving magnetized rocks floating over a bottomless pit immerses us in a silver screen video game experience.
By themselves, these would be intriguing but conventional action set pieces. Rendered in 3-D, this "Journey" jumps with eye-popping-out visual impact on a level 2-D can't touch.
Fraser, who has made a career out of taming the mammoth special-effects "Mummy" movies, injects a light touch and welcome humanity into Brevig's strung-together, dimly lit 3-D sequences. Yet, even he can't create sparks with ice-cold co-star Briem during an abortive romantic subplot.
"Journey" missed an ideal opportunity to say something about the condition of the earth, global warming and energy conservation. But then again, how profound can a movie be when one of its chief showcase moments involves spewing 3-D mouthwash all over an audience?
"Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D"
2½ stars (out of four)
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem.
Directed by: Eric Brevig.
Other: A New Line Cinema release. Rated PG. 93 minutes.