This summer, there has already been quite a bit to choose from in the action adventure genre. From Indy to Caspian, theaters are packed with people anticipating exciting effects, heroes in peril, witty repartee, and crowd-pleasing endings.

So how does a relatively “smaller” film—one with only one big star, little advance buzz, and not as much money spent on production… although quite a bit, still—get a summer audience? Make it 3D! And make it PG, too so that it can be a family event.

Brendan Fraser slips into his well-used Mummy “scientist accidentally roped in to an adventure” bit and heads up this (actually) fairly entertaining jaunt to Jules Verne’s imaginings of the center of the earth. Oh… and it’s in 3D!

Fraser plays Trevor, a bachelor volcanologist and science professor whose research lab (set up with his deceased brother) is about to fall victim to the university’s funding ax. Distracted by wondering if his life’s work will all be for naught, he forgets that his thirteen-year-old disengaged and disgruntled nephew Sean is supposed to stay with him for ten days.

Nonetheless, Trevor brings Sean to his lab one night, and they discover that the volcanic activity happening right then is exactly the same as when Trevor’s brother Max (Sean’s father) disappeared. Off they must go to Iceland to try to discover why this strange phenomenon is happening again. They take the Max’s worn copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, which is marked up with serious and scientific-looking notes. Could Jules Verne have been writing not a book of fiction, but of a reality that he had discovered? And could Trevor’s presumed dead brother be a believer, even alive?

In Iceland they meet up with a fetching mountain guide who takes them to where one of the volcano sensors beeps—but running from a lighting storm they get trapped in the mountain itself. And are forced, to, you guessed it, journey to the center of the earth. In 3D! And with lots of wide mouthed screaming of “AHHHHHH!”

The whole 3D part actually could have been done a bit better throughout. In the first place, it takes quite a while for one’s eyes to adjust to the visuals. So don’t eat too much before the movie starts. Next, there are shots created just for 3D—Sean playing with a yo-yo for example—that just didn’t take so well (the yo-yo is blurry and off-center). The best parts are the digitally-enhanced bits, such as the mine shaft carts, the flying fish, and especially (of all things) the end credits.

Yet the movie is fairly wholesome, with a positive family-friendly message that people are more important than things—and even more important than world-shattering discoveries. While it may not top the charts either at the boxoffice or in critics’ ratings, it is still a fun adventure story that parents will be able to take their pre-tweens to without worrying about too much violence, sex, or other such blockbuster fodder.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is rated PG for “some scary moments.” And just remember to save the snacks until after your inner ears, eyes, and brain all get on the same page. 

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jennie attended a press screening of Journey to the Center of the Earth.