Journey to the Center of the Earth

ok. So time for one more confession.

I’m a big Brendan Frasier fan.

Now I know what you are thinking…. he is no Brad Pitt, and you might have a point there but I have a thing for guys with a sense of humor, who know how to really laugh, and Brendan Fraser does both.

Brad Pitt cheats on his wife. Enough said.

So needless to say I was very excited this past weekend when my husband agreed to go see Journey. Unfortunately it was not the 3D version as apparently our local theaters are too cheap to spring for those highfalutin’ special paper glasses or something, so we were forced to watch the “normal” version…….

If you expect this movie to be a remake of the 1959 version that starred Pat Boone, you will probably be disappointed. It is not. Although the 2008 version has the same basic vein as the 1959 movie (well…..at least the same title) the entire story has been modified to be more fun, slightly campy, and 100% bubblegum entertainment for the entire family.

Cause & Effect

Brendan Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, a science professor who discovers that his long lost brother may have disappeared due to his finding the passageway to the earth’s very core. Unfortunately he does this on the first weekend that his nephew Sean comes to stay with him for a couple weeks.

Using Jules Verne’s book “A Journey to the Center of the Earth” as a guide, the two set off to Iceland in hopes of finding some evidence to Trevor’s theory. Instead what they find is a very expensive blond mountain guide named Hannah (that Sean called dibs on, BTW) and proof that Jules Verne’s book was not science fiction, but non-fiction…..

Result

Trapped at the earths core, with flesh eating flying fish, giant carnivorous dinosaurs and the center’s quickly rising heat, the three struggle to find a way back to their world on the “surface” before their time runs out and they are either eaten or cooked alive. The discovery of Sam’s abode where he spent the last days of his life, and notes on how to return home, inspire the trio and soon they are racing against time and fate to make it back home.

Conclusion

There isn’t great character development or a deep story line, but the actors deliver fun and the film entertains. It’s quick paced, provides enough action and witty remarks to remain interesting throughout, and ends in a manner fitting for the movie.

There seems to be a trend with Brendan Frasier and women with accents (guess I need to brush up on my German heritage to have any chance) but that aside, I did thoroughly enjoy this movie. To enjoy the movie, however, one must be sure to know, going in, that it is for entertainment value only, and not a literary masterpiece displayed impressively on film. Think Jurassic Park or Back to the Future - and you will have the same campy feel with Journey to the Center of the Earth. It won’t leave you more knowledgeable of history or politics or Shakespeare…… but is that all there is to a good movie? I mean really??

Movies exist to entertain us, and this one did it for me. How ’bout you? A flop, or not?

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