For a 3-D movie to work, it has to be able to stand alone as a 2-D movie. The 3-D effects, when done well, are great and all, but with nothing behind them, they can get stale fast. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" hits both marks pretty well. The effects and 3-D are amazing and the movie itself is great fun. Make no mistakes: this is a pure adventure movie which does not let real science get in its way. Brendan Fraser is perfect in these films. He has the stuff to be an action hero, but is able to play the comic relief moments very well, also. He is like a living cartoon character sometimes. The story basically follows the Jules Verne novel while using the novel as a "character" in the film. Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, a professor studying seismology and carrying on the work of his missing brother. Anderson finds a copy of Verne's novel with some familiar notations which lead him on a search for his missing brother, yes, to the center of the earth. His brother was a "Vernian", a person who believes Verne's book chronicled actual events. Trevor brings his brother's son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson) along and, of course, there is a love interest (Anita Briemm) along for good measure. The movie is a thrill-ride from start to finish. There are some silly moments ("Pirahna baseball" comes to mind), but they are consistent with the overall adventurous tone of the movie. This is great fun for the family. More sophisticated adult audiences might not accept a lot of the liberties taken to tell the story, but the adults I was with, including myself, had fun with it. The younger audience members were thrilled (although it could be too scary for toddlers, especially in 3-D).Grade: B
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