I remember seeing the trailers for this last winter. “Oh,” I thought, “I guess they’re rolling right along with another Mummy film.” Of course by the end of the trailer I learned that the latest Indiana Jones-inspired, Brendan Fraser vehicle was not the latest entry in the Mummy “franchise,” but rather a similar romp apparently based on Jules’ Verne’s classic, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Unfortunately, just as if it would have been a Mummy film, I could not have possibly cared less.
Until I saw it was in 3D. I saw Beowulf last fall and, while the action was derivative and the narrative was bastardization (at best) of the epic poem, the experience was totally redeemed by the opportunity to experience the entire film in the third dimension. Goofy looking glasses were required, but that’s a small price to pay for a magic catalyst that could turn a waste of $5 into a fulfilling afternoon. I assumed Journey would be operating along similar lines; nothing special, but something I could stomach given the additional dimension.
The current state of Dr. Trevor Anderson’s (Fraser) life is not one for an optimist. Students are avoiding his plate tectonics class at an alarming rate and his research on volcanic tubes is a looming failure. Those two factors need to be resolved as soon as possible and Trevor is largely without the resources to do so. If that wasn’t enough to drive him nuts, he also discovers that he completely forgot about the long-planned two week visit from his nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson). Thus his sister in law drops her son off along with a box of stuff that used to belong to his deceased brother, Max. Cue conflict.
Trevor’s simultaneous panic over not knowing how to deal with a teenager and his failing research is quickly resolved by sorting through his brother’s stuff. Among the items is a copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, which, along with a yoyo, Sean seems to find as the only intriguing object amongst all of his father’s possessions. Through some notes left in the book (and after checking on a random sensor) they decide they need to go to Iceland to meet a Dr. Ásgeirsson and collect his thoughts on some notes his Max left behind. While there they discover Ásgeirsson has died, but his daughter, Hannah Ásgeirsson (Anita Briem), is largely in charge of his estate and happens to be a trail guide. Though a complete skeptic of Trevor, she assigns him to a cult associated with foolishly believing Journey was not a work of fiction, she agrees to be their guide across the Icelandic landscape.
And then, you know, they fall in a hole and undertake a journey to the center of the earth. The trailer seemed to imply that this would be a semi interesting romp through a series of caves, but that assumption was almost immediately disproven with some gorgeous special effects and dazzling set pieces. Incandescent hummingbirds and a surreal self-contained miniature sun kick are complimented by a vast interior ocean, life size plants and, (why not) a tyrannosaurus rex. The action comes at a relentless pace and, during occasional instances where it slows, you’re treated to gracious displays of middle earth foliage. The center of the earth is not some boring, lifeless dirge of darkness, but rather a fantasy wonderland one could only conceive in a wildly imaginative phantasmal vision.
Perhaps the most advanced concept throughout the 92 minute adventure is its self-aware treatment toward Jules Verne’s fiction. Trying to ape the original story would be painfully unrealistic and sort of like beating a dead horse, given the countless other iterations of the novel. But, by using it as a guide in their journey, the characters are allowed to be skeptical and, by default, more realistic. Fifty foot fossilized mushrooms don’t seem so strange and geyser-riding fails at implausibility when it’s all referenced as being done in the book. Besides, this is a summer movie, it’s supposed to be fun and whimsically impossible. Being chased by a dinosaur is as unrealistic as an attractive Icelandic woman welcoming goofy looking American strangers into her home in the middle of the night As long as the characters look like they’re having as much fun acting as you are watching, it doesn’t matter what happens.
And believe me, they do have fun. This is thoroughly exemplified through a long standing staple of entertainment, a 2008 edition of a classic mine cart ride. For those not in the know, any movie, game, or real life event featuring an instance where the characters have to get from point A to point B via mine cart transportation is automatically granted ten units of awesome. Temple of Doom, Final Fantasy VI, and Thunder Mountain at Disney World are all living exemplars of this phenomenon. In Journey, this sacred instance of cave travelling lore is presented through a vitalizing rendition of chutes and ladders, though it’s mostly just a way for Hannah to repeatedly save everyone’s ass.
Which sort of leads into my next point, Hannah’s role in this film is a breath of fresh air. She’s neither overly stylized and sexed out like Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, nor is she nostalgic and castrating like Lost Ark’s Crystal Skull’s Marion Ravenwood. Hannah only falls into the maligned damsel-in-distress pitfall once, and generally spends the rest of the film solving problems or preventing Trevor from doing something stupid and getting killed. Anita Briem is also a dead ringer for Lost’s Emilie de Ravin, so that earns some additional points on some remarkably intangible level.
The rest of the relatively small cast is equally accessible. Fraser has turned in some decent performances in The Scout and Crash, but he’s fine at playing good hearted adventurer. Trevor is a likeable fellow, and you can’t help but root for the guy the entire time. The biggest potential for failure lied with the teenage nephew; younger actors can either make or break a film depending on how friendly the script is toward their particular talent. I’m happy to report that Hutcherson actually fills his role out quite well, finely balancing the line between angsty teen and independent spirit. The kid’s got a good head on his shoulders, and the writing never allows him to do anything pointless or stupid that would dispute that fact.
If you’ve been paying attention then you should have noticed that I haven’t yet referenced anything relating to the film’s 3D presentation. That’s because, quite simply, it’s strong enough to stand without it. It’s a well written and marvelously entertaining adventure tale, and while not in the league of the older Indy films, is certainly better than any of The Mummy’s or the newer Indy abomination. There is no real antagonist and the characters are never at conflict with one another. This lack of inherent humanistic contempt candidly renders the film as delightful, carefree popcorn fun.
Oh, and just because I said the 3D stuff wasn’t necessary doesn’t mean it wasn’t awesome. All the usual tricks are in full force (the silly woman sitting next to me put her hands up to protect herself from an emerging sharp object on more than one occasion), but nothing really goes overboard. The 3D aspect is a less of a backbone and more a flashy outfit. Would the movie be as interesting if everything wasn’t in 3D? Probably not, but its ability to make even the most mundane activity, like Trevor brushing his teeth, into a coercive gag is appreciated.
