Synopsis:

While backpacking across Iceland with his nephew Sean, scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) finds a cave that leads them deep down into the bowels of the planet. The explorers go on a quest to find out what has happened to Trevor's missing brother, also a scientist.  Along the way they discover a fantastic and dangerous lost world in the center of the earth.

The Freak's Rating: C+ : The last film that I saw in 3D was James Cameron's Monsters of the Deep.  My wife & I traveled to the Minnesota Zoo IMAX theater to see it and donned obnoxiously large yellow glasses to view it in all its glory.  The technology has progressed quite a bit in only a few years and the Real 3D technology in Journey is far easier to experience.  Given a pair of glasses that are sized more like a cheap pair of sunglasses you'd find at a gas station, you are no longer as distracted by the equipment and can focus on the experience.  I giggle at the idea of someone seeing a movie called Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D in 2D, but apparently there are those out there who have and will.  Some theaters are too cheap to spring for the print and glasses, resulting in many experiences of this film being FAR lower than they should be.  There are so many shots in this film specifically created for the 3D version, that audiences will spend the bulk of the 2D movie wishing they'd sprung for more gas to get to a better theater.  Without the 3D experience, I rate this a D at best.

The concept of Journey is its biggest strength.  Falling into the center of the earth and trying to find your way out, all the while encountering unique creatures and unknown danger is a captivating idea.  It is only when Brendan Fraser speaks that you remember you are watching a horrible version of this story.  Had he lived long enough to see this interpretation of his story, Jules Verne would vomit violently at it.  Dialogue is horrendous throughout and Brendan Fraser seems to struggle through each of his lines, trying hard not to laugh at the absurdity of them.  The only bright spot in the writing is that the hero, Trevor, isn't made to appear to know everything (ala Indiana Jones) and does stumble occasionally, needing help from his fellow explorers.

Fraser, somehow labeled by studio execs as an action hero (I still don't get that one), muddles through the role of Trevor Anderson and the supporting cast is dreadfully stale.  They don't have much to work with, but even the cute guide from Iceland (showing potential in her first minute of screen time) sputters out her lines with all the skill of a mediocre high school thespian.  Directing in Journey is decent, with camera angles setup as nicely as you'd expect for a film weighted so heavily on the 3D element.  Angles are smooth and cuts are decent, with one exception that an editor somewhere should be fired for.  In the print that I viewed, there was a scene where the young boy walks into a desert area where he disappears right in front of your eyes.  The entire audience with me collectively put their hands in the air in wonder for a brief second.

The 3D experience is what saves the film, as I said above, and keeps it just above the middle of the road.  Scenes where dust stirs in the cave and where things jump at you are created extremely well.  Had you punched up the dialogue about 8 notches (on a 10 scale), you'd have had a solid B movie here.  As it stands, it is one I would only recommend if someone asked...for the experience alone.  Seeing this one in the theater will be the only way to see it, so if the 3D aspect intrigues you, you'd better buy a ticket for it.

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