I’ve heard of the classic author Jules Verne, and many of his books including Journey to the Center of the Earth for many years now. I’ve never read the original book, and I’m surprised that 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth is practically one of the only major motion pictures in modern times seriously based on the work of Jules Verne. I heard critical opinion wasn’t exactly impressive, but I figured it might be good.

The story begins with scientist Trevor Anderson traveling to Iceland with his nephew Sean. About a decade before, Sean’s father disappeared looking for the center of the Earth. Trevor thinks he can figure out his mysterious disappearance, and in Iceland he meets Hannah Asgeirsson who agrees to lead him to a volcano that may hold the clues.

During their trip, they get stuck in the caves around the volcano. They search for a way to come back outside, but land in the center of the Earth. While they once thought it was little more than non-sense, Trevor now knows that his deceased brother Max was right that the Jules Verne’s book was more than fiction. While they are fascinated by the Earth’s core, they are fully aware that they must escape the dangerous creatures and surroundings before it’s too late.

Overall Journey of the Center of the Earth was a bit of a boring film. I think they would have done better if they had just simply stuck to the novel than making it a strange-remake/sequel. While Jules Verne was well known for science fiction, it was also written in the mid-19th century in less scientific times. A vast majority of stuff is so scientifically inaccurate, which would of been okay I suppose only if the movie didn’t take itself so seriously on the subject.