Product Details

• Actors: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Seth Meyers, Jean Michel Paré
• Directors: Eric Brevig
• Format: Color, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: New Line Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 28, 2008
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (453 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0016Q2D5M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,416 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Journey to the Center of the Earth" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When a seismic geologist (Brendan Fraser) discovers his lost brother's notes in a copy of the titular Jules Verne novel, he and his nephew (Josh Hutcherson, Bridge to Terabithia, Zathura) head to Iceland. There, joined by a fetching mountain guide (played by Icelandic actress Anita Briem), they get trapped in a cavern and go down, down, down, finally arriving in a primeval underworld full of prehistoric beasts and carnivorous plants. It would be pointless to complain about the empty-headedness of it all; Journey to the Center of the Earth aspires to be a kinesthetic experience. It wants to engage your adrenal glands, not your brain or your heart (the dialogue and characters are so generic, the script may have been cut-and-pasted from previous versions of Verne's book). Fraser, with his goofy handsomeness and accessible presence, provides a reasonably human axis around which all the frantic flying and swooping CGI effects revolve. The movie is as hollow as the world it depicts, but as mindless action movies go, you could do a lot worse. (Note: Journey to the Center of the Earth was released in theaters in 3-D, full of whizz-bang demonstrations of how far 3-D technology had come--trilobite antennae quivering towards the audience, a T-rex lunging out of the frame, even affable star Brendan Fraser spitting on us--as well as a half-dozen action sequences clearly destined to become video games or theme park rides.) --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Brendan Fraser stars in this action-packed adventure based on the Jules Vern Classic that is sure to deliver fun for the whole family! On a hunch to find the center of the earth, Trevor Anderson (Fraser), his nephew and their tour guide make a breakthrough discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey into the unknown. On a scramble to find their way back, the group travels through a never-before-seen world encountering creatures and objects never imagined.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 3D Review by a 3D Connoisseur February 13, 2012

By Keith Niemeyer

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

OOS EFFECTS:
There are about 25 out of screen effects that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer, 44 effects between 25 and 30%, 6 at 40%, 3 at 50% and 3 more around 60%. If I had to pick just 3 of my favorite effects from this film, they would be the biting fish at up to 30%, the carnivorous plant around 35% and a glowing bird that flits around between 25% and 40% for about 20 seconds. There are lots of other nice effects for you to pick your own favorites from.

IN SCREEN / OBSERVATIONS:
The depth is, for the most part consistent from scene to scene and is natural to SLIGHTLY exaggerated looking because the footage is so crisp and clear. In fact, the live action 3D is done so well that in some outdoor scenes, the fact that it is actually an indoor set or green-screened, becomes noticeable. (Did I just complain about 3D being done too well?? Must be a full moon or something. LOL)

This is a great action/fantasy film suitable for most family members (rated PG) and I will enjoy watching this movie many times in the future. It easily makes it into my top 10 (out of 100) blu-ray 3D movies.
I should add that this is NOT a 2 disc combo set. The Amazon title is wrong, their "Product Details" are correct.

ACTIVE GLASSES USERS:
On my system, in addition to some slight ghosting that most people shouldn't notice, 5 scenes had easily visible crosstalk. I'm not trying to scare you away from this title. It's not perfect but still well worth adding to your collection....
(crosstalk varies from system to system)

*** This is a must see, Add it to your list ***

4 ˝ star
MY 3D RATING = VERY GOOD to EXCELLENT (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)

Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.

Click on `See all my reviews' for the lowdown on other 3Ds Read more ›

64 of 69 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blu-Ray 3D Review (and comparison to prior releases) January 18, 2012

By MiRSD TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

First some back-information on the releases..

Journey to the Center of the Earth has been released in at least 3 different Blu-Ray versions now:
Blu-Ray 2D (with 3D anaglyph (green/magenta glasses) + DVD + Digital Copy
Blu-Ray 2D + DVD + Digital Copy
Blu-Ray 3D + Blu-Ray 2D

The original Blu-Ray 2D w/ Anaglyph 3D wasn't so great, mainly because the required green/magenta glasses which made the video look terrible (it also showed much more ghosting and the 3D was nice but hard to watch an entire movie). This release was later replaced with a 2D only release.

The 2012 release is a REAL Blu-Ray 3D release (requires a 3DTV). The release is a single-disc with both Blu-Ray 2D and 3D versions on it (there is no Anaglyph version on here, so you will need a 3DTV to view it in 3D). It's also worth noting that there is no longer a DVD or Digital Copy included (There was, however, 8-dollars movie money for the 2nd movie coming out in early 2012).
The 3D Blu-Ray release includes a lenticular cover.

MOVIE - I found the movie to be fun. Not a great movie by any means, but works nice as a "turn your brain off and just enjoy it without thinking too much about it" way. Nothing terribly memorable, but also more watchable than most of these movies (and I think a bit of that comes from the 3D - I originally watched it in 2D, but enjoyed it much more in 3D). At 92 minutes, it also doesn't drag on like some movies.

AUDIO - This is an improvement over the original Blu-Ray releases which only had Dolby Digital 5.1 -- the 3D Blu-Ray now has DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 -- audio was very nice, didn't notice any issues with it.

VIDEO - Video was also good - the colors seemed a bit odd at times, but still very watchable.... An above average transfer.

3D - Here's where the movie really shines. The Movie was filmed in 3D and combines live action and CGI elements very well. Lots of depth, lots of popout (a lot of gimmick popouts also, which I enjoy). I didn't notice ghosting/crosstalk during it (Panasonic DT30 LED TV with shutter glasses), something that is obvious during some movies. Depth seemed very natural and showed good separation.. sharpness was also very good. It was very obviously 3D the entire time, unlike some movies which seem as though 70% of them could easily be in 2D (and quite a few newer releases are just converted to 3D (this one was shot in 3D)). I'd rate it near the high end of 3D releases currently available.

Extras - Extras are sort of thin (same as the original release) - biggest being the commentary. The 3D release also includes a lenticular slipcover.

Overall - Not a great movie, but a fun movie. If you've seen it before and liked it, you'll like it much more in 'real 3D'. I owned the prior release (2D+Anaglyph+DVD+Digital Copy) and was still very happy with this new release. Recommended! Read more ›

91 of 104 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars In deep shist September 29, 2008

By Amanda Richards HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Trevor: Hey, look at all the shist.
Sean: What?
Trevor: It's a metamorphic rock. Green shist, white shist, micro-guarded shist-
Sean: Oh. Shist.

This adaptation of the Jules Verne classic novel features Trevor, a goofy volcanologist (Brendan Fraser), his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and Hannah, a canny Icelandic tour guide (Anita Briem).

While on a hastily arranged expedition to Iceland to retrieve data from a previously dormant volcanic sensor gadget, the trio emulates Alice by falling down a hole. Curiouser and curiouser, they end up not in Wonderland, but in a lost world, where long-extinct phosphorescent birds flutter by and the flying fish have a serious case of overbite.

Using the storyline of a missing brother and misunderstood Vernian volcanologists, the little group wanders around the treacherous terrain, overcoming insurmountable odds and horrible hardship (Eat your Trilobite, Sean) before reaching the grandly preposterous finale.

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. Three down the shist hole
2. Things start heating up
3. Underground ocean crossing brings separation anxiety
4. Tyrannosaurus wrecks
5. Geyser erupts with "flare"
6. Strong hint of "to be continued"

A little Goonies, a little Indiana Jones and a lot of tongue-in-cheek adventure, this movie is great as far as light entertainment goes, and can be viewed by the whole family.

[Warning: Beware of lame lines and ridiculous situations.]

Amanda Richards, September 29, 2008