SYNOPSIS: An exciting adventure based on the classic Jules Verne novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D stars Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Mummy) as a science professor whose untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. But on an expedition in Iceland, he and his nephew stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures. Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D is directed by Academy Award-winning visual effects veteran Eric Brevig (Total Recall, Pearl Harbor) from a screenplay by Michael Weiss and Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin. The film is a co-venture between New Line Cinema and Walden Media.

REVIEW: Trevor: [in complete awe] Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the center of the Earth.

Remember that song that goes “come on ride the train, come ride it, come on ride the train it’s a choo-choo train”? Well, have I got a fun train ride for you, literally. Actually, it’s more like a roller coaster style train ride, literally. This journey is a feast for the eyes, a buffet of visual stimulation and hearty adventure. Of course it’s the 3D that takes it over the top and makes it worthwhile. Sure there are moments where you might think you’re in a Disney World attraction, but we all pay a lot of money to see that too. The cinematography is breathtaking and the 3D is nice and crisp and very well done. At times I forgot I was watching it in 3D which means that they didn’t abuse the fact. Priscilla was on the edge of her seat the majority of the time. She was so into the movie that she could not contain herself. I really didn’t expect much from this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by its stunning visuals and its exciting adventure.

Not only is the movie based on the book of the same title by Jules Verne, the book itself is present throughout and used as a reference point. It’s not everyday that you see a movie based on a book and that very book is used in the movie . . . interesting. It’s the Verneans that put the adventure in motion, though. Verneans are those people like Trevor Anderson’s (Brendan Fraser) brother, Max Anderson (Jean Michel Pare), and Hannah Asgeirsson’s (Anita Briem) father, Sigurbjorn Asgeirsson (Garth Gilker) that believe there is truth to Jules’ novel. Loyal brother Trevor follows Max’s clues in search of the truth himself. The storyline is really quite simple which allows you to focus on the 3D, the special effects, and the journey. The acting is not as shabby as you might think. The performances were pretty good considering this caliber of film. Taking the lead were Brendan and Josh Hutcherson who played Trevor’s nephew Sean, Max’s son. Brendan was very well cast for this role as he embodies a child-like spirit along with the ability to carry the action aspects of the movie. Josh is really establishing himself as one of the finer young actors of our time. Even Anita, who is relatively new to the big screen, delivers a decent performance. The dialogue is well balanced. It’s not overly elevated for kids and not too childish for adults.

Visual effects guru Eric Brevig has been involved with such pictures as The Island, The Village, The Day After Tomorrow, Signs, Pearl Harbor, Wild Wild West, Men in Black, Hook, and Total Recall. I rest my case. Moving over to directing his first major motion picture, it is pretty obvious that the visual effects would be top notch, and they are even without the 3D. The 3D is icing on the cake and oh so sweet. And heck, he’s got a nice story and a decent cast to go along with it. Not bad for his debut. If you are looking for a good, fun for the whole family movie to see, go see WALL-E, but put this one next on that list.

Review By Cine Marcos 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

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