He Said: Journey To The Center Of the Earth

: 3 1/2 reels out of 5


2008 - Eric Brevig, dir.
Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem
1 hour, 32 minutes
Rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.

SPOILER ALERT

This is not the same story as the 1959 JTTCOTE movie, nor is it the same as the Jules Verne sci-fi classic. This is "What if Verne's story was real, and modern folk (A seismologist, his nephew, and their beautiful mountain guide) journey to the center of the Earth?"

Trevor Anderson (Fraser) is a typical absent-minded scientist - a seismologist - whose brother Max (Jean Michel Paré) (also a seismologist) has been missing for 10 years. Trevor and Max's boss at the university decides to convert Max's lab into extra storage, and gives Trevor a box of his stuff.

Preoccupied with his work, Anderson doesn't remember that his nephew Sean (Hutcherson) - son of the missing brother - is coming to visit, and is caught by surprise when Sean's mother drops him off. As the two go through Max's box in an attempt to bond, they discover his copy of Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Notes in the margins excite Fraser, prompting him to order a trip to the lab.

At the lab, Sean notices a new blip on Trevor's computer indicating that a sensor has detected something in Iceland, so the two are off to another country for the weekend.

There, they meet up with Hannah Ásgeirsson (Briem) daughter (granddaughter?!?) of the recently decased seismic institute's director. She agrees to guide them to the sensor so that they can collect its data.

As Trevor is collecting the data, a lightning storm pops up and the trio seek shelter in a cave. The cave entrance is struck by lightning, sealing them in. One thing leads to another, and soon they find themselves smack in the Center of the Earth. Now, the trick is to get out alive.

It's got some great, knuckle-biting action and is great family fare. The only thing I can really knock it down a few points for is a total disregard for science and the really bizarre luck that the heroes experience.

Yes, I realize and recognize that this is a movie. Not all the science has to be perfect. But in this movie, it just seems like every time something "science-y" came up, I was thinking "Nope, that's not how it works". Once or twice I can live with, but EVERY TIME?!?

I don't have a whole lot of examples left in my brain RAM because it's been a week. A couple? Sure. Um...The cave is laced with veins of magnesium. Trevor touches one of these veins with a torch, instantly setting off a decent-sized explosion which causes some trouble. Little story: In 11th grade, I took honors chemistry in a regular chemistry class. The teacher let me work on experiments in the back of the class on my own. I had a supply of magnesium, and I burned lots of it (just for fun, not on the required experiments). Now, this was pure magnesium metal. After about 10 seconds of heating in a Bunsen burner, it would catch fire and burn with an extremely hot white fire. The point of this story is to say that magnesium would not catch fire and EXPLODE after being simply brushed by a torch!

Another example. (Watch out, major spoiler) The group manages to exit the underground world by lodging a dinosaur jawbone they'd been using as a boat in a lava tube. The lava down below is rising. They figure out that water is on the other side of the tube wall, bust a hole in it (by igniting magnesium with a road flare) and riding the steam geyser out of the tube.

Ok, assuming the steam is fast and energetic enough to lift three people in a dinosaur skull, it's going to be INCREDIBLY hot - superheated. The three of them would be scalded to death before the left the tube. The dino bone is not going to protect them from that.

One more. At the center of the Earth (assuming it's not too hot to live) they'd be floating around like they were in outer space. No LESS gravity there, but it's pulling in all directions, so it balances out to 0.

Anyway, minor quibbles. Me trying to inject logic into a movie. It's worth seeing. If you see it with your kids, I'd recommend a discussion about science and how this movie isn't a science movie, it's a fun movie.

Oh, one more thing. Apparently this movie is available in 3d in some locations. We did not see it in that format, but it might have been fun that way.