Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Director: Eric Brevig

Cast: Brendan Fraser (Inkheart, The Mummy), Josh Hutcherson (RV, Bridge to Terabithia), Anita Briem (The Tudors), Seth Meyers (SNL)

The Deal: Professor Trevor Anderson (Fraser), his nephew Sean (Hutcherson), and their beautiful mountain guide Hannah (Briem) become trapped in a cave while on a scientific expedition in Iceland. Realizing the only way out must be down, they travel deeper and deeper into the Earth to find a world within the world. Full of strange and supposedly extinct creatures, they soon realize that if they want to survive, they must return to the surface before the volcanic activity boils them alive.

Thoughts: The film was far different than I expected. It took a somewhat hokey stab at Jules Verne's classic, with the characters knowingly replaying the book's story themselves, even using the book as a guide to help them. They're barely there before realizing they need to get out, and the rest of the film feels like it's rushing to incorporate the fantasy and adventure elements of the book. It drifts in and out of entertainment, and fails to fully utilize the source material for its benefit.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, as much as I like Brendan Fraser, he's not lead actor material. He's funniest in complimentary roles, and as the lead, many of his comedic moments fall flat. He's a fun actor, but he can't carry a film. If you've seen Bridge to Terabithia or RV, then you know what kind of performance Hutcherson gives. He's a decent child actor who still has plenty of room for improvement, but he proves to be adequate for the role. Briem is a fresh face for me, and most likely the same can be said for most people viewing the film. She does a decent job, probably the best in the film, but the story tends to make it known that she's there to look good (she does). The two guys both want dibs on her, and it never really changes as the film goes on.

I really wish the film could have had a bigger awe factor. They travel to the center of the Earth and find a thriving world there, yet nothing about it blew me away. It really was just a small Earth inside the Earth. I haven't read the book, so I don't know what if anything was left out, but I was hoping for more interesting visuals. The T-Rex was quite fake looking and far from terrifying, and their make-shift raft at the end looked way to corny.

Verdict: It has a few entertaining moments, but fails to become everything it could be. Possibly worth a rental if you've seen every other newish movie, or love Brendan Fraser. ☆☆1/2