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On the simply stupid side, there is a sequence in which the three adventurers are trapped on a raft in the middle of a storm and fighting off a swarm of giant, toothy fish.Suddenly, Sean's cell phone rings. Not only is this physically impossible—the film never even tries to explain how the phone could have gotten reception so far below the Earth's surface—but Sean's reaction is psychologically implausible, too. Not only does he take time out from fighting for his life to answer a phone call, he also neglects to say anything to his mother that a person on the verge of possible death might be inclined to say. Instead, he just tries to make it sound like the time he's been spending with Uncle Trevor is as dull and routine as they thought it would be. It's a gag, sure, but one that bends credulity to the breaking point.

We thought it was a summer movie. Apparently it's a fall movie

But why go after the film for its artistic shortcomings when there is all the 3D stuff to look at? Many of the more impressive scenes involve computer-generated backgrounds and other kinds of special effects, such as a sequence involving a loose bridge of levitating rocks that stretches across a deep, deep chasm. But there is wonder and awe to be had in some of the natural scenery, too. As Trevor, Sean and Hannah hike up an Icelandic volcano near the beginning of the film, we can see the other mountains and the landscape stretch for miles around them, and it's almost enough to make you wonder what an epic, scenic film like, say, Lawrence of Arabia could have looked like if it had been produced in 3D.

There is also plenty of gimmickry, too. Carnivorous fish and carnivorous plants snap at the camera, people hold important objects right up to the lens, trilobites wave their eyestalks right into the viewer's eyeballs, and there are no less than three scenes of people or animals spitting or drooling straight at the audience. The film is directed by Eric Brevig, who has spent decades as a special-effects technician but has no previous experience at the helm of a feature film. So, it's not too surprising that all the creative energy seems to have gone into the effects sequences, while some of the more dramatic scenes fall flat and the actors sometimes recite their lines as though they're not quite sure what to do with them.

Given that the characters themselves wave copies of Jules Verne's book around, it is possible that the folks at Walden are hoping the film will inspire kids to pick up the book and read it for themselves. Or maybe they hope to inspire a new generation of geologists. But for the most part, this film is nothing more than a roller-coaster ride—and as such, it's not that bad, but it will almost certainly be forgotten by the time the next ride comes along.

Talk About It

1. Have you ever tried to follow in someone's footsteps, after they failed, the way Trevor and Sean try to follow in Max's footsteps? How did you do it? Did you do it to learn what the other person experienced? Did you do it succeed where they failed?
   
2. Sean and Hannah both have ideas about their fathers that are challenged on this trip. What ideas have you had about your own parents that were challenged by later experiences? Did you ever find your doubt or skepticism turning to belief? Why or why not?
   
3. What do you think the center of the Earth is like? What does studying the center of the Earth tell us about our planet and the way God made it? Does it fill you with awe? Leave you cold? How do you think it would compare to, say, outer space or the deepest oceans?

The Family Corner

Journey to the Center of the Earth is rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments, including people falling great distances, being chased by a dinosaur, being attacked by leaping fish with big sharp teeth, and being attacked by carnivorous plants. One character also mishears the word "shist," which refers to a certain kind of metamorphic rock, but no one ever actually says the four-letter word that it reminds them of.

Photos © Copyright New Line Cinema

© Peter T. Chattaway subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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