Cinema review
Directed by Eric Brevig
Starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem
Release date 11 July 2008 (UK & US)

Scientist Trevor Anderson (Fraser), his adolescent nephew Sean (Hutcherson) and mountain guide Hannah (Briem) set out on a perilous adventure journeying deep beneath the Earth's surface in search of a mystical world...

Adapted from Jules Verne’s influential novel and billed as the first live action feature to be shot entirely in digital 3D, Journey to the Center of the Earth has a lot to live up to. In its early scenes, the film feels like an extended sales pitch, with little happening on screen beyond glorifying Sony and Google. However, once the product placement has passed, the movie transforms into an efficient rollercoaster ride that employs cutting edge 3D technology to transport viewers into its strange subterranean world.

The much-hyped selling point of the movie - a giant T-Rex - is disappointing. The creature is too large and too loud for its own good, and the audience is never given a chance to fully appreciate it. But the action sequences at sea boast some truly spectacular visuals, with impressive man-eating piranhas and enormous sea creatures we haven’t seen the likes of since Walking with Dinosaurs.

The film also features a rather sentimental sub-plot in which Sean searches for his father. Used as a weak excuse for the expedition in the first place, it’s abandoned halfway into the film when the special effects and action quite rightly take centre stage. Alice Wybrew

VERDICT: 6/10
Flawed but fun, Journey to the Center of the Earth offers plenty of laughs, surprises and genuinely astonishing action. Kids (and kids at heart) will love it.

Click here to read an interview with Brendan Fraser.