3-D 'Journey' takes viewers along for ride

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
Journey to the Center of the Earth is not so much a movie as an amusement park ride.
As a ride, it's a reasonably exciting way to pass the time. A perilous sea voyage on a dinosaur's jawbone while dodging flying fish is fun, as is a harrowing spin on a mining cart inside a spooky cavern.

But as a movie, it's flat and predictable, though the visuals are often striking.

Based, of course, on Jules Verne's literary classic, the movie starts out well enough while the focus is on Brendan Fraser's engaging science professor character. Fraser is so likable, smart and funny that his mere presence improves the movie substantially. If he didn't anchor it, there wouldn't be much point to see it.

The 3-D effects are underwhelming and sometimes a bit of a cheat. It's not very impressive when a measuring tape snaps in our faces and a Swiss army knife floats by, seemingly within reaching distance. Scenes with a stampeding dinosaur are derivative, bringing to mind Jurassic Park, and a flurry of fluttery prehistoric birds is cute, but not dazzling.

Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, an academic who clings to a hypothesis that has been discredited by the rest of his university and, presumably, the scientific community. Part of the impetus for his belief has to do with his brother's life's work as a "Vernian" — a devotee of Verne and his theories. As the movie opens, his nephew Sean, his late brother's teen son, comes to spend a few days with Trevor. Initially a bit surly and bored, Sean (Josh Hutcherson) is intrigued by Trevor's research. He inadvertently stumbles on a key finding, and the next thing he knows, Trevor is taking him to Iceland. Once there, uncle and nephew are taken to a volcanic mountain by a comely guide, Hannah (Anita Briem). She happens to be the daughter of a scientist who also was a Vernian.

There are some chaste sparks between Trevor and Hannah, but the film is one of the most family-friendly of any this summer. Briem is kind of bland and Hutcherson is appealing enough, but the movie belongs to Fraser, who strikes just the right playful tone. He's that rare blend of witty, intelligent, self-deprecating and convincing action hero, priming audiences for the Mummy sequel, due next month.