Journey to the Center of the Earth Blu-ray delivers great video and decent audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
A science professor's untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. But on an expedition in Iceland, he and his nephew stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth's surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures.
The influence of Science Fiction spreads far and wide. Credited with revolutionary ideas and
innovations, inspiring generations of scientists, and engendering a sense of awe at the natural
wonders
of the world and piquing the curiosity of the unknown in countless millions of fans, the genre --
as
enjoyed through a wide array of mediums, including literature, comics, radio, television, and
cinema
-- has left an indelible mark on the modern history of mankind. The writings of H.G. Wells, the
characters
and society created by Gene Roddenberry, or the broadcasts of Orson Welles serve not only as
entertainment, but create worlds of wonder and mystery, offer visions of a better tomorrow, or
forewarn of the possible dangers of tomorrow, today. One of the genre's most famed storytellers
and pioneers, Jules Verne, was a visionary of his time, a Leonardo of sorts, envisioning the
fantastical, the mysterious, the unreachable, and long before mankind caught up to his genius,
he
penned adventures both fantastical and foretelling, sending readers on adventures around the
world, beneath the sea, to the moon, and into the center of the Earth. Now, more than 140
years after the novel's publication, New Line Cinema's aptly-titles Journey to the Center of
the Earth arrives, the film itself a conglomeration of more than 100 years of innovation,
showcasing the advancements of cinema, cinematic techniques, and motion picture delivery into
the home. Only a century ago, the technology on display throughout the film and as now
displayed
on home theater systems around the globe, was the thing of far-reaching, perhaps even
unimaginable, Science Fiction, yet is today a reality, and a stunning and magnificent one at that.
Jules Verne would be proud.
Whoa...3-D is super cool!
Professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser, The Mummy: Tomb of the
Dragon Emperor), keeping for a brief time his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson, Bridge to Terabithia),
discovers his missing brother Max's copy of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the
Earth. This edition contains numerous clues and guidelines, in Max's own handwriting in the
margins, about what seems to be a real
adventure to the center of the Earth -- and the professor and his nephew head to Iceland to
begin piecing together the clues, and perhaps discover Max's whereabouts. Teaming up with
Hannah, an Icelandic mountain guide, who believes Max to have been a "Vernian," an individual
who believes the writings of Jules Verne to be science fact rather than science fiction, the trio set
out on their search and soon find themselves descending deeper and deeper towards the planet's
remarkable, yet deadly, center.
Journey to the Center of the Earth is obviously a 3-D movie first and foremost, but the
filmmakers smartly crafted a good story and endearing characters to compliment the film's
primary draw, but more on that in a moment. The 3-D component of the film works
extraordinarily well, and translates wonderfully to home viewing. There are only several shots in
the film that are literally "in your face," gimmicky moments meant more to set the stage for the
experience and wow viewers with a few initial surprises before the film settles into its groove.
Viewers will see an insect's tentacles reach out and try to scrape across their faces; a tape
measure will stretch out of the screen and into the living room; audiences may never brush their
teeth again without thinking about the film. As the movie settles in and the journey begins,
there
are times where the 3-D imagery becomes almost routine, losing a bit of steam and wonder over
time, but the film always manages to throw something at audiences that remind them just how
novel and wondrous the process is. Journey to the Center of the Earth was the perfect
film in which to incorporate 3-D, and the perils and pitfalls of the harrowing journey are brought
to
vivid, exciting, and oftentimes breathtaking life.
Journey to the Center of the Earth is nothing but a good old family-friendly adventure, a
film
anyone can enjoy given the right frame of mind and willingness to suspend disbelief and delight
in
what
is a magical, fascinating, and thrilling ride. While the film isn't the most smartly written or the
best
acted, it is more than a gimmick and it manages to move along briskly and embrace several
good ideas that make the film better than it should be. First, and most obvious, is the film's
incorporation of the Jules
Verne
novel. The film smartly doesn't borrow the title and act as if the novel doesn't exist. Instead, the
actual novel plays an important role in the movie, becoming a character in and of itself that aids
the
adventures along their journey perhaps even more so than any tool they utilize throughout. The
film also creates a magnificent, yet not overly stylish or far-fetched, "center of the Earth." Filled
with amazing yet believable creatures, some that are recognizable, some that are not, replete
with beautiful locales yet foreboding horizons, and tricks and traps that place the characters in
peril but remain grounded in a plausibility, the film smartly ties itself together, easing ideas
previously introduced in the film to the forefront later as knowledge gleaned or obstacles
conquered early in the film return to help the heroes in the film's exciting final act. Last but not
least, Journey to the Center of the Earth offers a few scenes of genuine emotion, shared
amongst the characters and transfered to the audience. Many audience members will laugh and
cry, scream and shout, reveling in every second that is the Journey to the Center of the
Earth.
Journey to the Center of the Earth's main visual attraction is its 3-D rendition, and the
effect is generally seamless. Home theaters become a three-dimensional paradise of eye-popping
visuals as material literally leaps through the screen. When viewing 3D, the colors have a
reddish-purple tint about them and objects are often accompanied by some ghosting, but the
sacrifice in
some fields is worth the novelty of the 3-D experience. The visuals give a whole new meaning
to
"3-D pop," and if the future of home theater is indeed 3-D imagery, bring it on, assuming viewers
are
provided the option of a traditional 2-D experience as New Line offers here. The standard
transfer,
presented in 1080p and framed at 1.78:1, offers decent, but not exemplary, high definition
material. As the film opens, colors are a bit pale and blacks lean towards the gray and overly
bright end of the
spectrum. The
image is incredibly bland and looks unnatural in 2-D. Nevertheless, as the film moves along, fine
detail improves; an old generator found in chapter seven looks
appropriately old and worn, as it shows signs of rusting, chipping, denting, and heavy use. As the
film progresses into the dark, cavernous "center of the Earth" locales, detail on the whole picks
up, flesh tones look more natural, and the imagery appears somewhat sharper. It's still a rather
phony looking transfer, flat and seemingly free of noise at normal viewing distances. It's an
adequate but subpar transfer that pales next to the 3-D version, which is how the film should be
viewed, anyway. Nevertheless, the film's primary draw, the 3-D
presentation, is impressive, and the transfer receives 4/5 Blue "Bs" as a result.
Journey to the Center of the Earth includes only a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, an
obvious and unfortunate blunder by New Line/Warner Brothers. As it is, the track is decent, with
plenty of
rear-channel activity and bass, but nothing stands out as remarkable or exciting, and the
experience isn't up to par with the charm of the film, the excitement of the visuals, or the
adventure theme of the picture. Nevertheless, dialogue reproduction is strong, and the film's
score flows nicely from the front speakers. The rear channels don't see much action until 20
minutes into the film where a storm atop an Icelandic mountain engulfs the listening area, as
thunder booms and crackles, as lightning bolts strike down from the heavens and onto the harsh
terrain. Surrounds come to life with discrete sound and atmospherics rather often, and the track
is fun to listen to, if not a bit underwhelming on the whole from a volume and clarity standpoint.
One thing the soundtrack does well is its faithfulness to some of the visuals and certain audio
cues that work in perfect harmony with the 3-D imagery. For example, the killer fish attack
sequence
in chapter 13 shows several of the attacking aquatic beasts jumping straight into the living room,
and the soundtrack follows it perfectly from front to back. Far from the awesome sound effects
and pitch-perfect soundtrack that is The Incredible Hulk,
for example, Journey to the Center of the Earth manages to be just good enough to keep
audiences in the film, but the soundtrack simply doesn't match the power and excitement of the
film's visuals, and it's a shame that New Line/Warner Brothers dropped the ball on such an
important and
enjoyable title as this.
Journey to the Center of the Earth adventures onto Blu-ray with several
supplements. First up is a commentary track with director Eric Brevig and actor Brendan Fraser.
From the get-go, the actor and director settle in for a comical yet informative commentary track.
Fraser takes the reigns and leads the track with Brevig seemingly in a secondary role, but he, too,
offers fine insights. They offer serious comments on the necessary plot points that move the film
along and that support the effects, establishing characters the audience cares about, a discussion
about
the strengths of the other actors, filming some of the more challenging scenes, and more. The
track works because of its easygoing nature, and fans of the picture and the participants,
particularly
Brendan Fraser, will greatly enjoy this commentary experience. A World Within Our
World
(1080i, 10:09) is an easygoing, entertaining look at the various theories that discuss what could
be
deep below the Earth's surface. Being Josh (1080i, 6:00) is a child-centric look at how
the
film's young star lives, works, and learns on the set of Journey to the Center of the
Earth.
Finally,
How to Make a Dino Drool (1080i, 2:47) takes a closer look at one of the film's messier
gags. Disc two of this set contains a digital copy of the standard 2-D film, and as one might
expect, the wishy-washy visuals carry over here. Heavy blocking in the blacks is an issue
throughout, as is banding. The image retains a slightly washed out appearance in the early
segments but grows stronger in the film's later segments in the Earth's center. The sound is
surprisingly tiny and uninteresting, and only moderately loud at 3/4 maximum volume.
Journey to the Center of the Earth offers a genuine sense of wonder, excitement, and
adventure, all the while reveling in its compelling imagery that is only gimmicky to a point and
never
heavy-handed. The movie will leave only but the most jaded of audiences smiling and satisfied
thanks to to its easygoing, honest, family-friendly approach to adventure. New Line Cinema's
Blu-ray release of Journey to the Center of the Earth features dazzling 3-D imagery. The
effect comes alive like never before in the home, thanks to the improved resolution of Blu-ray,
and
the ability to play the film back on large screens with little loss of clarity and fine detail makes this
format ideal
for 3-D material. Unfortunately, the studio has failed to provide a soundtrack that is up to the
standards of the high definition experience, and a rollicking adventure film such as this one
definitely suffers as a result. Fans are treated to several entertaining supplemental features.
Despite its lack of proper audio elements, Journey to the Center of the Earth will make a
fine addition to most any Blu-ray library, and is a film that may be enjoyed by every member of
the
family. Journey to the Center of the Earth, recognized as one of Heartland's "Truly Moving Pictures," comes
Recommended.
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