Loading ...Review of Reviews: Journey to the Center of the Earth’s eye-popping visuals save weak script
Jule's Verne's classic story comes to life on the Big screen - again. This time it's been updated an has comedic-action star Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) as the lead.
The Good
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The Bad
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Full Review
OPENS: July 11, 2008
RATING: PG (Cartoon-level violence)
GENRE: Science Fantasy
In the glut of summer flicks based on comic books this summer, Journey to the Center of the Earth - even though it is in 3-D - is a throw-back of sorts as it is based upon a novel written in the 1800s.
An unashamed children's film, it opens on the same weekend as the more adult-themes Hellboy 2 and the slightly raunchier Meet Dave, starring Eddie Murphy.
Directed by Eric Brevig, best known for creating stunning special effects, this film has its sights set on one goal: make a thrilling movie that is fun for families to see together in a theatre. There, according to critics, it succeeds.
But if you are a film snob looking for a great Oscar-worthy work of filmed speculative fiction, you'll be disappointed.
Journey is all about the thrill ride, special effects and pushing the limits of 3-D technology without breaking them - and for the most part it succeeds, so say the mainstream critics.
Of course, this weekend, audiences will judge for themselves.
WATCH THE TRAILER
Rating (out of 10)
Christian Science Monitor"Remake of the Jules Verne classic lacks some of the sense of wonder of earlier version despite its splashy special effects. " - Peter Rainer |
6 |
TIME"Neither the acting nor the story matters much here; the movie is simply the sum of its 3D effects." - Richard Corliss |
5 |
Chicago Sun-TImes"This is a fairly bad movie, and yet at the same time maybe about as good as it could be. There may not be an 8-year-old alive who would not love it. If I had seen it when I was 8, I would have remembered it with deep affection for all these years, until I saw it again and realized how little I really knew at that age." - Roger Ebert |
6 |
Toronto Star"Whatever kinks remain in 3D technology seem to have been worked out, and there are moments, especially involving a blue phosphorescent bird hovering in the air of the theatre, that are quite impressive. Dramatically, however, this movie has not evolved." - Philip Marchand |
5 |
San Francisco Chronicle"Director Eric Brevig could have leaned on the 3-D and the action sequences - he could have indulged himself and bloated his movie by 20 minutes - and still had something that would have pleased most viewers. Instead, he told the story." - Mick LaSalle |
8 |
Washington Post"Viewers will delight at amusing visual stunts involving a yo-yo, a beetle's antenna and at least three spit takes, one from a very sloppy, gloppy dinosaur." - Ann Hornaday |
7 |
Kansas City Star"Journey provides a diverting if shallow entertainment, not to mention a glimpse of things to come." - Robert W. Butler |
6 |
Salon"Just as the effects in "Journey to the Center of the Earth" start to become tiresome, the thing is over: Part of its beauty lies in its economy. In real life, it would take you a long time to journey to the center of the earth. Brevig has us in and out in around 90 minutes. Now that's show business." - Stephanie Zacharek |
8 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer"It's harmless fun, and it makes for an often impressive display of the latest generation of computer-wizardry. But the enterprise is utterly void of substance: instantly forgettable and about as enriching as a rerun of Johnny Quest." - William Arnold |
7 |
Total |
6.44 |
Popularity: 7% [?]
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