In generating what amounts to a 90-minute theme park ride, the filmmakers lost track of the need to tell a compelling story to supplement the eye candy.
2 Comments
07/10/08
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
61
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:149
Fresh:91
Rotten:58
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Modern visuals and an old fasioned storyline make this family adventure/comedy a fast-paced, kitschy ride.
Theatrical Release:Jul 11, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $101,653,320
Synopsis: This 2008 movie update of Jules Verne's classic sci-fi/fantasy novel uses the 1864 tale as a template, with its hero, scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), referring to his missing brother's... [More]
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Jane Wheeler
Director: Eric Brevig
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Reviews for Journey to the Center of the Earth
Top CriticThe young lads in your family will thank you for taking them, but I'm not sure about anyone else.
07/10/08
The real star here is the pair of 3-D glasses you're handed when you walk into the theater. With them, Journey is a kick (if not much more).
07/10/08
Awesome, a dinosaur drooled on me!
07/10/08
There is a fundamental reason why 3-D technology doesn't work...
07/10/08
Special effects have come a long way since Jurassic Park, but you wouldn't know it from Journey to the Center of the Earth.
07/10/08
An entertaining family film in 3D about adventures in a strange and wondrous world.
07/10/08
The story is slight and predictable, the character development pretty much nonexistent, and though the effects are generally solid, without 3-D the movie would be pointless.
07/10/08
The comin'-at-ya effects are certainly state of the art ... but any hopes that the film might blaze new trails are squashed the first time someone picks up a paddleball. Kids should lap it up; for anyone else, Dramamine is advised.
07/09/08
Cheesy good fun for the family, but seeing in 3-D is essential.
07/09/08
Wandering around the earth's stalactite-dripped core exerts a primal appeal even in a dumb kiddie joyride like this one.
07/09/08
Top CriticThree dimensions are one too many for this flat tale of geological grandiosity.
07/09/08
While the actual meat of the film features at least one spectacular sequence involving a chasm and floating magnetic rocks, the rest is marred by badly conceived 3-D effects.
07/09/08
[Not] the worst way to kill a few hours. Just think of it more as an E-Ticket attraction and less as an actual movie.
07/09/08
The effects are amazing.
07/09/08
A well-made, high-spirited movie that (rare indeed) never takes itself too seriously... a perfect summer escape.
07/09/08
3D is a nice twist for what basically is a made for TV family movie. Think of it as Jules Verne light.
07/09/08
1-D characters get the 3-D treatment in a reasonably funny and exciting update of Jules Verne's classic.
07/08/08
This cheeky combination of updating and spoof makes for an agreeable amusement-park ride of a movie...all the more striking by being presented in very effective 3-D.
07/08/08
There are so few family films that can really appeal to everyone in the family, and this is an amazing adventure for both kids ... and adults who refuse to grow up.
07/08/08
Latest News for Journey to the Center of the Earth
March 13, 2009:
Brevig Plots Another 3-D Journey 
Thanks to a $240 million worldwide gross and some healthy DVD numbers, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" will be getting a sequel, with Eric Brevig back in the director's chair. More...
February 25, 2009:
Eric Brevig Directing Yogi Bear
One 3-D project deserves another, so Eric Brevig will go from directing "Journey to the Center of the Earth" to Warner Bros.' 3-D live-action/CGI "Yogi Bear" feature. More...
January 06, 2009:
Academy Names Shortlist for Visual Effects Oscar
The Academy has narrowed its choices for this year's visual effects Oscar, naming "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D,"... More...
October 27, 2008:
RT on DVD: Zombie Strippers, Meet Kit Kittredge!
For the week leading up to All Hallow's Eve, there's a surprising dearth of new horror releases hitting DVD. Rest assured, though, titillation and scares can be found in a trio... More...
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