Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Nice effects though.

Absolutely the worst movie.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

If I'm being totally honest I recorded this version of Journey to the Center of The Earth believing it to be the 2008 remake with Brendan Fraser (I wasn't aware that there was a TV version till now). Having realised that it wasn't the version I expected once the opening credits started I decided to stick with it and here's what I thought....One thing I will say is that I think it's unfair to come down hard on this film purely because it's a 'TV movie' film. The acting was pretty bad, the animal effects were laughable (they weren't great in the original, but to be fair that was made in 1959). Despite all this, I did find this TV film to be fairly enjoyable. In this TV film we are treated to a voice-over narrative from Abel (whereby he is articulating notes that he's putting in his diary). At times, I thought that this was a nice touch as it does help to give a basic understanding of what some of the characters are thinking and how they feel. This narrative is also quite informative and helps to explain some of the things that they've discovered whilst they're in the cave. Where this falls apart slightly is that it's over-used and there are occasions when it's used to explain what's going to happen next - which is pointless as we'll know what will happen eventually. This isn't a major criticism as I found the voice-over work to be more of benefit than hindrance. I also thought that it got going fairly quickly and it was generally better paced than the original. It was all OK up till this point, but then came the final third....In this TV version of the film, our intrepid adventurers stumble across a tribe of people who have descended from earth down to the Centre of the Earth centuries ago. Just when you think it can't get any more ridiculous we then find that the tribal people are worshipping Martha's missing husband as some sort of god. I mean really? Before our adventurers met the tribes people my biggest criticism is that there was a lack of tension because no-one was pursuing them or following them like we saw in the original - alas this objection was answered at this point, but it was answered in a ridiculous and nonsensical way. The issue of food was ignored initially, but then answered when our adventurers are treated to a 'Last Supper' style feast - quite where all the food came from is a complete mystery. What I can't understand is that a film of this nature is supposed to be shrouded by mystery, our adventurers have had to use a map and a modicum of intelligence in order to get to the area that the tribe are inhabiting and yet we're supposed to believe that this tribe of people have discovered this area by mistake. It just requires too much suspension of disbelief and doesn't give the film any kind of intensity. In the original, you really felt that the team were isolated and you felt that they'd achieved something by the end, but you don't get that feeling here and it ultimately made this film a lot less rewarding and a lot less enjoyable.Up till the 60 minute mark I did think this was an OK film - it was reasonably enjoyable without being anything special. However, it's ultimately ruined by its final 30 minutes where it descended into absurdity, implausibility and downright stupidity.

During the first few years of the 21st century, new versions of JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH continued to be announced but remained unproduced. Finally, in 2007, a new big budget version was made, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3-D, and as so often happens, simultaneously a lower budget rendition of the same story was made to cash in on the former's anticipated popularity. In this case, the filmmakers did not return to the novel, but as with the 2005 version of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, chose to instead remake an earlier adaptation.Robert Halmi, Sr. dusted off the script of his 1999 version of JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, compressing it back to a 90 minute telefilm for RHI entertainment that appeared on the ION network on January 27, 2008. William Bray adapted the 1999 Tom Baum teleplay, this time helmed by T.J. Scott (probably best remembered for some of the most imaginatively directed episodes in the HERCULES and XENA series). The principal characterizations and motives remained the same, only compressed and more tightly paced.The setting remains around the 1870s but is transplanted to San Francisco and Alaska (still known as "Seward's Folly" and with vestiges of Russian influence). These locales and a center of the Earth that resembles it were all a result of the Vancouver location shooting determining production design. However, the switch to an American background also gives the adaptation more of a natural, domestic, and less of an exotic feel–distinct from previous versions, which is a strength, but also familiar types of scenery, such as a western-style Alaskan town and costume. While director Scott makes the most of the backgrounds, the fact that the center of the earth looks almost exactly like the world above makes the narrative ultimately less convincing. Far more memorable were the unusual visuals achieved by the 1999 version.From the first scene it is clear that this is little more than a retelling of the earlier film, with the basic characters and situation remained as before. Neither Rick Schroeder or Steven Grayhm, respectively, are as appropriate for their roles as were Treat Williams and Jeremy London in 1999. By contrast, the female lead this time is incarnated this time much more vigorously and convincingly by Victoria Pratt. She has a decade of female action roles to her credit and is also the wife of director Scott, and they have a long list of collaborations together. She has a map leading to a mine shaft which goes to the center of the Earth, down which her husband had descended four years earlier and never returned. As before, part of her motive is to redeem her role in a marriage gone sour.Central to the rapid unfolding of the story is the reliance on the first person narration ostensibly from the diary kept by young Abel, who dedicates it to his fiancée, angry at his departure on the journey. Most intriguing is the change in the Hans character from the novel; the new version offers a Russian outlaw, Sergei, whose brother had descended with the husband. This provides an appropriate shift of character that merges with the new locale, and also, unlike all previous versions, a compelling reason for the "guide" to descend with the others. Sergei is also vital in helping the expedition reach the lake where, according to the map, on a single July day of the year the sunlight will point out the location of the mine.There is an attenuated telling of the journey to the underground lake. The only marker among the caves is one at the beginning, in Russian, telling them the correct initial cave to take. On the way, the remains of Sergei's brother are found.By the shore, trees freshly felled with an axe indicate an earlier traveler, and they decide to also make the journey by raft. Prehistoric birds and a pleisiosaur attack the raft, creatures described as extinct since the ice age. The use of effects is brief and has little impact on the story. Subsequently the film veers in new directions, as in the 1999 version, leaving Verne's novel behind.An encounter at the shore with a wrecked raft leads to natives who resemble Native Americans, leads, predictably, to finding the husband (Peter Fonda, a modest improvement over the 1999 film's Bryan Brown), who has taken advantage of superstition and made himself king. Some warriors are resisting Edward's rule, and when they unite in opposition, Edward leads the way to a cave reputed to be the way out. Unlike the 1999 version, he is allowed redemption by sacrificing himself to save the others by staying behind to guarantee a dynamite charge that will block the cave. Water overcomes the foursome until finally they are sent to the surface of a lake in a waterspout. They decide to save the tribe from further exploitation by the above-ground world and Abel will keep his diary secret, or in fact, say–as he does in the final sentence–that it is merely a piece of fiction. Meanwhile, Jonas and Martha have realized their attraction for each other.In this version, the more rapid pacing does not allow the viewer to be quite as aware of the hokeyness of the subplot with the tribes as in the 1999 version. Still, the principal question remains why the producers thought the script of the 1999 version was good enough to deserve a remake. Likely, as in the choice of the Vancouver location, it was simply a matter of the most budget-conscious way to proceed. Still it remains a valid question for audiences to ask.

may contain some spoilers, skip if you don't want movie tidbits i expected some good adventure just like the other movies with the same title, but this version of - journey to the center of the earth was pure boredom even the scenes where excitement should of ran high with a viewer, made me just yawn and wonder why....over half the movie was pure boredom, unless u count rick shroeder chasing a thief, which looked like it was filmed in 10 minutes the decent through the earth could have been made so exciting, but in this version, it was like watching a documentary on A&E. WHERES THE ACTION, SNAKES, BUGS, CAVE-IN???? 1 little fall off a ledge, heck, I've had more dramatic falls on vacations, lol why in this age of computer wizardly cant a movie put more excitement and creativity into itself.a bear supposedly attacks horses, they show a 2 second clip of a bear roaring, thats it! horses scatter and after looking for the horses for 2 minutes they say horses are gone? i mean come on, show some mauling prehistoric birds attacking, well, what a joke. i see more action on 1970's land of the lost TV show.the only good graphic in this entire movie was a sea creature jumping up and eating a bird, a whole 10 seconds total.lets talk about the acting.....if they let rick shroeder be more exciting in this flick, it would have been more fun to watch. seems to me they held him back, with poorly written script and directing the woman, martha, did a OK job, but again, script kept her boring now, PETER FONDA! oh good lord, the only reason i think he was in the film was for his name to market this movie. fonda actually ruined this film to the point of fast-forwarding the DVD. he was so boring, so un-emotional, so... blah!! to me he seemed drunk or on medication as he filmed. i coulda found a more exciting and better actor than peter fonda at the local old folks home. and paid him 1/100th as fonda!! this version of JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH was made to make money off its jules verne title alone, cuz the only award it will win from this reviewer is = STINK-A-ROO !!! that being said, its worth a watch if your bored, but if you see another movie on at same time that has a fun sounding title, id choose it over this 2007 version of jules vernes journey to the center of the earth learn by your mistakes Hollywood....

I Loved the original version in 1959 with James Mason and, since movie making has had 50 years to improve, I guess that I was expecting So Very Much More. Phew! This movie was a terrible let down. Maybe if I would have seen it on the big screen I could have given it a 3....maybe. Unfortunately, I had to watch it on TV with a commercial every 10 minutes. There is No Doubt in my mind that I would have turned it off after the 1st 10 minutes except for the fact that I was editing out the commercials for a friend of mine so that she could watch it when she got home.I'd say that if you Love soap opera's and you are addicted to the 'Lifetime' channel, than give it a spin. However, if you are more in tune to good movie making(story, plot, acting, etc), than avoid this nonsense like the plague.