Whoa! 3-D has come a long way since those early days of flimsy paper, color-tinted glasses. And this newest version of Jules Verne’s pioneering fantasy is the first all-digital 3-D narrative movie ever made.Scientist Trevor Anderson (Brenden Fraser) has been tracking seismic events in Mongolia, Bolivia and Hawaii ever since his older brother went missing in 1997. So when a remarkable new surge occurs in Iceland, coinciding with a visit from his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson), he has little choice but to tote the materialistic, bored 13 year-old along to Reykjavik. That’s where he hires Hannah (Anita Briem), a local mountain guide whose father happened to be a ‘Vernian,’ someone who believed Jules Verne was writing fact, not science- fiction.

The trio of adventurers inadvertently discover volcanic tubes, which bypass the magma layer, and enter a fantastic, subterranean world, filled with bizarre creatures, carnivorous plants, terrifying plesiosaurs %u2013 and rapidly rising temperatures.


Directed by f/x whiz Eric Brevig (”Total Recall,” “Pearl Harbor”) from an updated script by Michael Weiss, Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin %u2013 and, of course, Jules Verne’s 1864 novel - it’s filmed by Chuck Schuman using the HD Fusion camera developed by James Cameron (”Titanic”) and Vince Pace.

The most memorable thrills include a runaway rollercoaster ride in an abandoned mine, ravenous flying piranha and prehistoric sea serpents in a secret, underground ocean but there are also lovely, magical moments, like when glowing white birds seem to flutter into the audience.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Journey to the Center of the Earth: 3-D” is an awesome, exciting 8. Don’t settle for 2-D %u2013 choose a theater with 3-D %u2013 and then hang on for an astonishing, eye-popping ride into another world!

When you have a movie that stars Will Smith, charlize Theron and Jason BAteman the emphasis is going to be on the acting as well as the action. There are a lot of special effects, explosions, fights and car chases but the heart of the movie comes from the acting talent of the stars.Smith plays John Hancock, a man with superhuman powers who doesn’t use his skills in the best way. Even when he is working to capture the bad guys or to right some other kind of wrong he makes mistake after mistake which ends up with the public hating him. He is in need of a good PR man and that is exactly what he gets when his path crosses that of Ray Embrey (Bateman).

Ray knows instinctively how to fix Hancock’s problems. He mounts a campaign to change his image and to make him the superhero he was born to be. This includes getting him off the booze and cleaning up his mouth. Ray’s wife Mary (Theron) doesn’t seem to care much for Hancock but their son Aaron (Jae Head) idolizes him.

Things get even more complicated when Hancock finds himself attracted to Mary. This attraction leads to even more revelations about who and what Hancock is. The audience gets one surprise after another.


All three stars are totally into their roles and make the audience believe even the wildest aspects of their lives. Director Peter Berg lets it all play out in a way that is entertaining and informative. You have to use your head in order to absorb it all, but the plot is believable in a fantasy kind of way.

The movie is rated PG-13 for way too much profanity and violence. Kids could have been huge fans of this film if the language had been toned down just a bit.

Will Smith is one of Hollywood’s few mega-stars. He can seemingly do no wrong in his choice of roles. This time out he chose to play a superhero, but one with a twist. He is totally convincing in the action and the acting requirements.

Theron and Bateman are perfectly cast opposite him. They make a trio of talent that is hard to beat. This is not a movie for the kiddies. The language discourages that potential audience. But for those looking for something a step beyond the typical action film, this is a good one to see. Will Smith flies and fights, but the selling point is how he inhabits the character totally.