Journey to the Center of the Earth
Director: Eric Brevig
Principle Actors: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem
Studio: Alliance Films & Walden Media
Official Website

Rated: PG
Running time: 92 minutes
Release date: July 11^th, 2008 

Reviewed By: Ashley Hunking (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada) 

Do you remember when you were a kid and the anticipation of a film kept you in a state of excitement for weeks on end? Journey to the Center of the Earth is this type of film and will remind you why going out to the movies is still exciting. The air in the theater was combusting with energy from children sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to grab at the next 3-D flying object.

Based on the classic Jules Verne novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth is the first feature film shot and released entirely in digital 3-D. In his directorial debut Eric Brevig, known for his work in special effects (The Day After Tomorrow, The Island, Total Recall) packs the film with fast paced dinosaur chases, trolley rides through mines and swimming in underwater caves.  

The story takes place in a world that exists at the center of the earth. Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) is a scientist who finds himself looking after his nephew Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson), whose father mysteriously disappeared when he was 2 years old. The two set out on a journey to Iceland where they meet a mountain-guide (Anita Briem) who takes them into a volcanic mountain. An accidental turn of events leads them to the center of the earth and unleashes them into a world thought to be extinct.

Brendan Fraser delivers a comedic performance as he kung-foo fights Venusflytraps and bats-off killer fish. There are enough comedic elements that make this film both delightful and action-packed. Of course, you are not going to see Journey with a mindset that this film will be anything other than entertainment for entertainment's sake and the film doesn't take itself too seriously in that understanding; a dinosaur sneezing slime was an audience pleaser because it was in 3-D, for example. Journey to the Center of the Earth is like a 92-minute theme-park ride, short of moving seats and splashing water! 

Some of you might remember the 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth that was nominated for three Oscars in "special effects," "art direction" and "sound design." Those who thought the earlier version was ambitious will be blown away by Eric Brevig's version. Audiences will love this movie for many different reasons; audiences in their 30's and 40's will feel a sense of nostalgia in remembering the red and blue 3-D glasses from the first wave of "cinema that grabs you" in the 1980's, and for the younger children being brought by their nostalgic parents, Journey To The Center Of The Earth will be a thrilling first-time experience. 

We may start to see more filmmakers incorporating the 3-D digital filmmaking into their films with Journey reaching a wide-range of audiences who are thirsty to be in the action. The 3-D movie process was first patented in 1890 by a British film pioneer William Friese-Greene. His patent included two images projected side by side on the screen. In order to converge the two images a person had to watch the movie through a stereoscope. Since then the 3-D process has evolved through many hands and methods. Ultimately, it is a function of immersing the audience into the scene, the story and the world being created around them. Journey To The Center Of The Earth is a movie experience youths of today will look back on one day with a similar nostalgia that their parents will have this week!