Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth is an old-fashioned adventure tale for the whole family. Logic and plausibility take back seats to the fantastic in the Jules Verne-inspired vacation to an underground world, but the good-natured story and surprisingly well-rounded characters manage to compensate for the story’s lack of reality. When researcher Trevor Anderson (Brendan Frasier) is roped into taking care of his teenage nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson), he discovers an old copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth once owned by his older brother Max, who disappeared a decade earlier. In the novel are notations that Trevor recognizes from his geological research. Soon, Trevor and Sean are exploring Iceland in search of clues to Max’s disappearance. Led by Hannah (Anita Briem), a beautiful mountain guide and daughter of Max’s colleague, the trio discover a secret world hidden deep below the surface of the Earth. Journey to the Center of the Earth is presented in widescreen, full screen and a 3D version for home viewing (four pairs of 3D glasses are included with the DVD). Though the colours are somewhat washed-out, the 3D image has surprising depth (I recommend a large TV and a really dark room to fully enjoy the experience). The added dimension does bring a little magic to the movie and provides a few thrills that may fall flat in a 2D viewing. Other features include a "press direction key on your remote” game that doesn’t really work or provide any amusement. There’s a typical commentary track, a short documentary exploring historical theories about the Earth being hollow and a "How to Make Dino Drool” mini-doc. Regardless of the number of dimensions in which you experience Journey to the Center of the Earth, it is an enjoyable "turn off your brain and enjoy the ride” experience.