Cheesy good fun for the family, but seeing in 3-D isessential.
Admittedly, I wasn't expecting a whole lot going into a 3-D remakestarring perennial cheese-ball Brendan Fraser. The trailers looked terrible andWarner Bros. seemed to be doing little more than dumping the release intotheaters, another leftover from the New Line takeover. But to my surprise,Journey to the Center of the Earth was actually decently entertaining -- at least in 3-D. In 2-D, I can'timagine sitting through this entire movie. Especially in the opening scenes, cheap 3-D nods reminiscent of flicks from the '50s origin of 3-D cinema such asthe racket and ball gag from House of Wax are thrown at the audience with abandon. A tape measurerextending out over the audience , Brendan Fraser gurgling tooth paste andspitting it at the audience, etc. If you ever manage to forget you are watching a3-D movie, visual effects maestro-turned-director Eric Brevig is quick to throwthe next site gag right into your face. Thankfully, in a kind of video game,theme park attraction way, it works. It's fun and allows you to forgiveFraser's less-than-polished acting chops; Josh Hutcherson's by-the-numbersperformance as the obnoxious pre-teen with daddy issues; the throwaway role asthe hot mountain guide by Anita Briem and so on and so forth. But in 2-D, I'dhave to think all of that would be pretty grating by the end. Find a theatershowing the 3-D version, grab the family and throw on your Real D glasses andyou should have a fun, albeit forgettable time at the movies.
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