Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Eric Brevig


Which came first? The movie or the theme park attraction?
Back in the old days, the ride followed the flick. Then the worldwide blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl, based on an existing attraction, came along in 2003 and changed the rules.
Nowadays, it is probably an integrated marketing decision from the get-go. Watch the movie, preview the ride.
And while not exactly a top-of-the-line heart-stopping spin, this solidly B-grade sci-fi adventure offered some decent thrills and spills.
Brendan Fraser, in his second summer movie outing after The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor, is geologist Prof Trevor Anderson.
His brother Max vanished while tracking unusual volcanic activity, leaving behind a wife and son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson).
Ten years later, aided by Icelandic mountain guide Hannah (Anita Briem), Trevor and Sean undertake a journey to the centre of the earth, with Max’s note-filled copy of Jules Verne’s novel of the same name serving as a guide.
They find a world filled with beautiful and terrifying flora and fauna and also discover what happened to Max.
The film took a while to kick into gear as the various pieces were put into place - a sullen pre-teen in need of a father figure, the mystery of a missing brother/father and the question of whether Verne’s novel was fact or fiction.
The set-pieces included two bone-jolting rides, one through an abandoned mine (Big Thunder Mountain anyone?) and the other in a dinosaur skull (coming soon to a theme park near you).
The special effects were serviceable though the forest of giant mushrooms looked decidedly plasticky. Perhaps you needed to smoke them for the scene to look more realistic.
The ending pointed to a sequel set in the mythical land of Atlantis. Whether that project gets greenlighted could well depend on the takings from the amusement rides, oops, movie.
(ST)