Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

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Year:	2008
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Eric Brevig
Genre:	Family adventure guff
Starring:	Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem
Rating:	3/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373051/
Tagline:	Same Planet. Different World.
Favourite line:	"No one gets dibs on the mountain guide."

Fun filled adventure for all the family.
Yikes.

The plot:
Brendan Fraser is teacher Trevor Anderson, and that rarest breed of teacher too, for an American movie, as all of his students appear bored in his lectures, adding a genuine air of reality to proceedings. Usually they are hanging on every fucking word; pupil-bots the like of which exist NOWHERE.
Anyway, when his nephew comes to stay, albeit reluctantly, Trevor finds a copy of Jules Verne's eponymous classic, along with annotation from his recently deceased brother. See, his brother was on a mission to find 'volcanic tubes' to the centre of the Earth. Could it be that he really found them?
Could this very book contain all of the clues to follow in his footsteps?
Well, could it?
You bet your flingin' flangin' ass it can, Batman.
Quicker than you can say Around the World in 80 Days, Trevor's off to Iceland for an adventure of a life time, and not a sign of Kerry Katona anywhere.
Weird.

Mildly diverting as far as family adventure movies goes, this is perfectly adequate stuff. At no point is anyone imperiled, at no point do we genuinely belief the giant insects or T. Rex's are gonna mash 'em, crush 'em, or inject them with anything too deadly, so nothing to frighten any vulnerable ones - I'm looking at you, Matt.
With a decent budget, the special effects would be expected to be of a decent standard but, truthfully, they are laughably poor, which only serves to distance from the on screen action. Listen, I love my old Who and Blake's 7, so have no problem with ropey FX and wobbly sets but, for a Hollywood movie in 2008, this just ain't good enough.
One to put on when the kids need quietening, then.
For everyone else, it's safe to avoid.