Movies
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Wide Releases
Now In Theaters
76
(500) Days of Summer
60
9
17
All About Steve
37
Amelia
53
Astro Boy
66
Bandslam
45
Box, The
61
Capitalism: A Love Story
55
Christmas Carol, A
43
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
66
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
29
Collector, The
23
Couples Retreat
80
District 9
61
Extract
39
Fame
xx
Fantastic Mr. Fox
30
Final Destination, The
34
Fourth Kind, The
60
Funny People
32
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
27
Gamer
41
G-Force
39
Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, The
46
Halloween II
73
Hangover, The
78
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
55
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
66
Informant!, The
69
Inglourious Basterds
58
Invention of Lying, The
47
Jennifer's Body
66
Julie & Julia
34
Law Abiding Citizen
33
Love Happens
54
Men Who Stare At Goats, The
67
Michael Jackson's This Is It
51
My Sister's Keeper
42
Orphan
28
Pandorum
63
Perfect Getaway, A
86
Ponyo![]()
35
Post Grad
48
Proposal, The
30
Saw VI
53
Shorts
24
Sorority Row
83
Star Trek![]()
33
Stepfather, The
45
Surrogates
55
Taking Woodstock
47
Time Traveler's Wife
96
Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D![]()
35
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
28
Ugly Truth, The
88
Up![]()
71
Where the Wild Things Are
67
Whip It
28
Whiteout
73
Zombieland
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Limited Releases
Now In Theaters
58
(Untitled)
96
35 Shots of Rum![]()
56
Adam
72
Adela
39
Adventures of Power
78
Afghan Star
61
After the Storm
66
Afterschool
xx
All the Best
58
American Casino
72
Amreeka
48
Antichrist
73
Araya
62
Art & Copy
55
As Seen Through These Eyes
76
Baader Meinhof Complex, The
86
Beaches of Agnes, The![]()
13
Beautiful Life, A
70
Beeswax
35
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
71
Big Fan
66
Black Dynamite
51
Blind Date
xx
Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly
76
Bliss
35
Blue Tooth Virgin, The
26
Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, The
57
Boys Are Back, The
45
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
81
Bright Star![]()
70
Bronson
45
Burning Plain, The
xx
Carriers
55
Casi Divas
57
Chelsea on the Rocks
62
Cloud 9
65
Coco Before Chanel
69
Cold Souls
59
Collapse
44
Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha
82
Cove, The![]()
75
Crude
82
Damned United, The![]()
67
Departures
xx
Dil Bole Hadippa
71
Disgrace
xx
Do Knot Disturb
70
Earth Days
24
Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat
85
Education, An![]()
55
Endgame
xx
Eulogy for a Vampire
xx
Everyone Else
xx
Fatal Promises
56
Fifty Dead Men Walking
62
Five Minutes of Heaven
74
Flame & Citron
49
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution
80
Food, Inc.
28
Free Style
xx
From Mexico with Love
50
Fuel
25
Gentlemen Broncos
50
Give Me Your Hand
58
Gogol Bordello Non-Stop
72
Good Hair
89
Goodbye Solo![]()
52
Grace
66
Harmony and Me
81
Headless Woman, The![]()
xx
Heretics, The
63
Horse Boy, The
73
House of the Devil, The
xx
How to Seduce Difficult Women
74
Humpday
94
Hurt Locker, The![]()
29
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
16
If One Thing Matters: A Film About Wolfgang Tillmans
75
In Search of Beethoven
83
In the Loop![]()
61
Intimate Enemies
42
Irene in Time
70
It Might Get Loud
46
Killing Kasztner
19
Labor Day
xx
Laila's Birthday
41
Little Ashes
41
Little Traitor, The
66
Liverpool
34
Looking for Palladin
80
Lorna's Silence
83
Maid, The![]()
xx
Ministers, The
59
More Than a Game
67
Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, The
34
Motherhood
62
My One and Only
xx
Mystery Team
48
New York, I Love You
73
Night and Day
66
No Impact Man
47
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
34
Other Man, The
xx
Painter Sam Francis, The
54
Paper Heart
xx
Paradise
68
Paranormal Activity
68
Paris
44
Peter and Vandy
35
Play the Game
77
Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire
xx
Pretty Ugly People
65
Providence Effect, The
76
Rembrandt's J'accuse
69
September Issue, The
79
Serious Man, A
40
Shrink
61
Skin
77
Skin Too Few: The Days of Nick Drake, A
xx
Skiptracers
46
Splinterheads
39
St. Trinian's
89
Still Walking![]()
50
Stoning of Soraya M., The
55
Storm
65
Tetro
70
That Evening Sun
72
Thirst
xx
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (re-release)
61
Trucker
xx
Turning Green
83
U2 3D![]()
66
Unmade Beds
66
Unmistaken Child
70
Visual Acoustics
55
Walt & El Grupo
67
Way We Get By, The
69
We Live in Public
64
Wedding Song, The
64
Where is Where?
xx
White on Rice
74
Woman in Berlin, A
69
World's Greatest Dad
70
Yes Men Fix the World
69
Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
xx
You, the Living
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
EMAILPRINTWarner Bros. Pictures

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 35 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 60 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | Adventure | Family/Kids | Fantasy | Sci-fi
Written by:
Jules Verne (novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth")
Mark Levin
Jennifer Flackett
Michael Weiss
Directed by: Eric Brevig
Release Date:
Theatrical: July 11, 2008
DVD: October 28, 2008
Running Time: 92 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments
Starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, and Anita Briem
During a scientific expedition in Iceland, visionary scientist Trevor Anderson , his nephew Sean and their beautiful local guide, Hannah, are unexpectedly trapped in a cave from which their only escape is to go deeper and deeper into the depths of the Earth. Traveling through never-before-seen worlds, the trio comes face-to-face with surreal and unimaginable creatures--including man-eating plants, giant flying piranha, glow birds and terrifying dinosaurs from days past. The explorers soon realize that as volcanic activity increases around them, they must find a way back to the earth's surface before it is too late. (Warner Brothers)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Washington Post Ann Hornaday
Terrific family entertainment, an action comedy on a par with "Night at the Museum" and "National Treasure."
Read Full Review >Empire Kim Newman
Fraser on form, 3D dinosaurs, geology lessons, phosphorecent hummingbirds, killer flying fish, theme park rides, Icelandic babe - what's not to like? It skews young, but is everything an 8-12 year-old could want. Older siblings and parents will have nothing to complain about either.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
You don't believe a second of it, but it's easy to enjoy, partly because of the casting of all three leads.
Read Full Review >Variety John Anderson
A more unavoidable obstacle here is that there's not much in the way of plot -- the story is in the tour through the labyrinthian intimacies of inner Earth. As such, it's an f/x wizard's dream, and Brevig makes the most of it.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
The picture works because Brevig and his actors -- not to mention his effects -- maintain a sense of humor and lightness. It doesn't hurt that Fraser, a fine actor who's made a name for himself not with his serious performances (which are reliably solid) but for his recurring role in the "Mummy" series.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
It's harmless fun, and it makes for an often impressive display of the latest generation of computer-wizardry. But the enterprise is utterly void of substance: instantly forgettable and about as enriching as a rerun of "Johnny Quest."
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Journey is just the new version of a 1950s comin'-at-ya roller coaster, with a tape measure, trilobite antennae, and giant snapping piranha thrust at the audience.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
For a harmless "Indiana Jones" knock-off, Journey to the Center of the Earth has an awful lot riding on it.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
A brisk, undemanding adventure aimed squarely at the family market, Journey is completely passable in 2-D. But viewing it through 3-D glasses not only quadruples the movie's entertainment value, it also explains why characters are constantly thrusting things at the camera.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
This dumbed-down spin on Jules Verne's classic adventure tale was devised as a kid-friendly roller-coaster ride, and it delivers the goods. Whether anyone over the age of eight wants the goods is another matter altogether.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Not exactly a movie in the usual sense, not exactly a ride, Journey is more of a virtual theme-park simulation and possibly a milestone of immersive entertainment.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
So the science in this film of Jules Verne's science fiction classic is ludicrous. Well, how's the fiction? Not terrible.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
I don't know if 3-D could improve all movies (nothing could make "The Love Guru" funny) but it sure works here.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
This first feature by veteran visual effects supervisor Eric Brevig has its transporting, if benign, charms.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine David Edelstein
It would be barely passable under normal circumstances, but in 3-D it's a circus of excellent FX.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Surprising as it may be, given an unpromising trailer, the 3D update of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth turns out to be perfectly charming as well as predictably eye-popping.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
The cast hits the right notes. Fraser, switching between affable good sport and heroic goofball, clearly doesn't mind this stuff. He realized early on with "George of the Jungle," "Dudley Do-Right" and the "Mummy" movies that his B-movie build and persona is perfect for live-action cartoons.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
Neither the acting nor the story matters much here; the movie is simply the sum of its 3D effects.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Matthew Sorrento
Many have described "Journey" as a 3D film dumbed down to a theme park attraction. However, its visual splendor would have left Walt Disney weeping and Sergei Eisenstein preaching of cinema's second coming.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
It's inoffensive and shiny and competent and kids will dig it, and I can already barely remember a single thing that happened.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
It has its modicum of suspense, and Brendon Fraser, who stars as intrepid professor Trevor Anderson – who does indeed journey to the center of the Earth – is his usual heroically affable self.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
Like its early predecessors, it's a nominally fun trip, but it's tissue-thin and instantly forgettable.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
With 3-D, a little goes a long way and, in the absence of a legitimate script with credible characters, the fun dries up long before the running time has expired.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Jan Stuart
Ultimately, Journey to the Center of the Earth's minor-league visual pleasures will be most enjoyed by those with the smallest number of celluloid reference points, preferably those who have started going to the movies after "Jurassic Park" or, better yet, the Harry Potter films.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
If this movie is not a ride, then what is it? One thing it may not be, quite, is a movie.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Eric Brevig, making his feature directing debut after a long career as a visual effects supervisor, lurches from one CG set piece to the next, though he's helped along by Fraser's easy comic touch.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This is a fairly bad movie, and yet at the same time maybe about as good as it could be. There may not be an 8-year-old alive who would not love it.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker Anthony Lane
As daft, outlandish, and speedy as it needs to be, and, for all its newfangled effects, touchingly old-fashioned in its reverence for the Jules Verne novel that inspired it.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Robert Wilonsky
If the 3D here is better than average, SLIGHTLY, the rest of the movie brings it way, way down--not quite to the center of the earth, but at least a good six feet under.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 4.7 (out of 10) based on 60 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
caporegime gave it a3:
All visual effects spectacle.
Bat W gave it a0:
This is absolutely one of the worst films I've ever seen. Horrendous story line, horrendous acting...the special effects may be the only redeeming value, but that can't even save this movie. Trite, vapid and a movie that should appeal to small children or those who have been lobotomized. I can't believe anyone would give this movie anything over a score of 1.
Lauren s gave it a3:
Indiana Jones wannabee! this movie doesn't even cut the "average" movie. It bunks itself in between "worthless" and "awful" my 8 year old cousin told me he fell asleep while watching it. Only a 2 year old would find it eye opening.
Sponge Bob gave it a0:
I's slightly better than Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, but that's really not saying much. OMG the logic in this film is non-existent. I'm amazed that Braden Fraser's career even exists after this.
Anonymus Anonymus gave it a4:
Don't get me wrong, but..., OK, plain and simple, this movie is stupid. Who cares about the crap that you may lay eyes on? Please, oh please, don't waste your money on this junk. The theaters don't know what junk they're putting out. But, of course, I'm one person, and when you want your money back because you PAID to see it, don't come crying to me when you don't get your money back. If you like the movie, and read this review, I'm quite embarrassed. Anyways, just don't watch this crap.
Rose D gave it a5:
A silly movie who's plot revolves mostly on impossible cell phone reception,corny effects and bad acting. the 3-d glasses do NOT save the plot and performance of this movie.
Austin M. gave it a7:
I'd would give this a 6, but 3D gave it a point up. I'd say this a really good family film. Really Good. I was expecting it to be atleast okay, because I saw the Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser, and he was good in those. This movie actually beat my expectations. Watch this with a mediocre feeling, you'll like it more.
