Reel Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Reels
MPAA Rating: PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments
Released in Theaters: July 11, 2008
Genre: Family, Action-Adventure
Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Eric Brevig
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Anita Briem, Josh Hutcherson
Sex/Nudity: Mild flirting, two mild kisses.
Violence/Gore: The travelers are attacked by carnivorous plants, flying fish, and hungry dinosaurs. It’s a little scary, but no blood or gore is shown.
Profanity: The word “schist” is used as a replacement for sh*t.
Which Kids Will Like It? Kids 8 and older who like classic adventure tales. Good time to encourage them to read the Jules Verne book.
Will Parents Like It? Yes, Trevor and his nephew care about each other, and bond during the adventure. It’s all good, clean fun.
Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth is a fun action flick based on the classic Jules Verne tale. It probably won’t win any awards, because there are other movies with more action, better special effects, and just about everything else. But don’t let that stop you from seeing it, because for a PG-rated family film — and 3-D, too — it’s loads of fun.
Brendan Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, a geology professor who’s in danger of being downsized out of his college department. When not teaching class, he’s been continuing the work of his brother, Max, who disappeared several years earlier while studying volcanic tubes, i.e. express lanes into the center of the earth.
When Max’s son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson) arrives for a 10-day visit (much to his chagrin), Trevor is ready to send him home after stumbling upon some data that might prove Max’s theory. No way, says Sean. He’s not getting dumped.
So the two embark on a journey to Iceland, where they meet up with an old scientist’s daughter, Hannah Asgeirsson (Anita Briem), who doesn’t believe any of this earth’s core business, even though her dad was studying the same theories. But she’s willing to guide them up the mountain for a fee. A few horrible missteps later, and the trio is sent hurtling into the earth’s core, where they find all sorts of fantastical creatures, plants, oceans, and adventures.
This is the sort of movie where you have to just let go, and be willing to accept what you see, for the sake of movie fun. The world beneath the earth is a fantasy filled with wonder — tiny, electric-blue birds, mammoth mushrooms, flesh-eating fish, and several prehistoric creatures, not all of which are friendly.
The movie would have been good even without 3-D, but with it, a panoply of things jump off the screen at you, including a big glob of dinosaur mucus. But none of it is gross or violent enough to turn you off. It’s rated PG, with just the right amount of action and, of course, a little romance thrown in.
Brendan Fraser continues to be the guy who’s a little frayed around the edges, but always with a raised eyebrow and a comic turn. Anita Briem has a few credits to her name, most notably as Jane Seymour in Showtime’s The Tudors. She does a great job here of playing the strong female undeterred by a few dinosaurs or several-mile drop into the earth.
And I’m enjoying seeing Josh Hutcherson’s career unfold. He’s growing into a fine actor. Here, he plays a 13-year-old, but could easily pass for 16 or 17. According to his IMDB page, he’s 15.
Go see Journey to the Center of the Earth, and take your family. There are a few scary parts, but it’s fine for kids 8 and older.
Jane Boursaw is a family entertainment writer specializing in movies and TV. Visit her at Reel Life With Jane; follow her on Twitter; become a friend on Facebook; email jboursaw@charter.net.
