Journey to the Wonders of the Earth...

Journey to the Center of the Earth as a normal, run-of-the-mill 2D picture, isn’t a particularly interesting one. The story is blindingly simple, the characters lack any depth, and the effects aren’t anything we haven’t seen before. But Journey to the Center of the Earth isn’t meant to be seen as a normal, run-of-the-mill 2D picture. When this film enters the third dimensions, things start to get interesting. 

The film is sort of an update to the Jules Verne classic sci-fi story. Trevor Anderson is a professor of volcanology. A little over ten years ago, his brother, Max, didn’t return from an expedition, under mysterious circumstances. Trevor, studying his brother’s notes, heads out to Iceland with Max’s thirteen year old son, Sean. There, they hook up with Hannah, a local mountain guide. They travel through the Icelandic mountains to retrieve some of Max’s research materials, but get caught in a cave-in along the way. As they try to find a way out of the cave, they inadvertently stumble into a deep chasm that takes them all the way to a hidden underground world at the center of the Earth. 

There isn’t much to the plot. It’s pretty clear that the filmmakers wrote this script by first thinking about the action sequences they wanted to produce, and then just kind of filling in the blanks. The characters aren’t really fleshed out all that well, despite only really having three of them to focus on. Aside from a pretty large plot hole, however, there’s nothing particularly offensive about how this film tells its tale. It’s dead simple, just enough to keep it from becoming a random sequence of vignettes. That may be just enough, because any more, and it might start getting in the way of the main attraction. 

If you don’t see this film in 3D, you’re missing out. It’s that simple. The third dimension defines this film, making it something more than your generic family adventure film. It becomes your connection to the film. The characters and the story are a little too simple to really grab you, but the 3D makes the film experience immersive. It’s a gimmick, all right, but it’s a terribly fun gimmick, one that has you dodging in your seat and grabbing at things that aren’t there. Kids will certainly love it. 

The acting in the film isn’t exceptional, but it gets the job done. Brendan Fraser isn’t the world’s greatest actor, but he knows what he’s doing. He’s goofy and quippy and you can’t really hate him, no matter how cheesy he gets. Josh Hutcherson, who’s really become a staple of American family films, is always pretty good, and he’s no different in this film. He’s no Freddie Highmore, but that’s all right. Few kids are. Anita Breim has pretty decent chemistry with both of the boys, and that’s enough to get her through the film. 

It’s all about the 3D with this film. Without it, I would probably knock half a star (or maybe more) from the final rating, because it just isn’t as exciting or as fun an experience. I know it’s a lot more expensive, and having only one cinema showing it in that format is a problem, but really, 3D’s the way to go. Get a seat closer to the screen so you can just barely see the edges of the frame, and it’s even better. And maybe if enough people see it in 3D, it’ll convince other cinemas to invest in digital projection. And then we’ll all be better for it.