Journey to the Center of the Earth parents guide

Journey to the Center of the Earth Parent Guide

Overall A-

Trevor's (Brendan Fraser) professional credibility is in question after the scientist proposes some radical new theories. But hope for restoring his reputation comes after he and his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) discover an incredible deep and uncharted cave in the Icelandic wilderness. Hiring a local guide (Anita Briem), the small expedition begins an adventurous Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Release date July 10, 2008

Violence B
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A
Substance Use A

Why is Journey to the Center of the Earth rated PG? The MPAA rated Journey to the Center of the Earth PG The MPAA has rated Journey to the Center of the Earth PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.

Run Time: 93 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Journey to the Center of the Earth is an eye-popping experience. As the first full-length, live-action film shot in digital 3D, it offers in-your-face entertainment for those able to view it in this new format. Gnashing prehistoric fish and drooling dinosaurs seem to jump off the screen and into the seat beside you. Luckily, during the passage of Jules Verne’s novel into a new era of computer animation, the classic story manages to maintain it’s good, old-fashioned monster movie appeal.

Brendan Fraser stars as scientist Trevor Anderson, whose brother Max (Jean Michel ParŽ) went missing a decade earlier while conducting fieldwork during a spree of unusual seismic activity. Now the lab, set up in honor of the lost explorer, is being shut down due to lack of funds. To make things worse, Trevor’s unhappy and disinterested nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson), is arriving for a 10-day visit while his mother (Jane Wheeler) is out of town.

The two relatives initially agree to a shared, but aloof, living arrangement in the same apartment. However when Trevor discovers resurgences in volcanic activity in the area where his brother vanished, he and Sean pack up their bags and passports, and head for the remote Icelandic location. There they hire a mountaineering guide, Hannah çsgeirsson (Anita Briem), to lead them to a nearby opening in the Earth’s crust in hopes of finding any clues to Max’s disappearance. Coming upon Max’s seismic recorder, they attempt to recover the information inside. But a violent lightening storm sends them scampering into a cave that collapses around them. Forced to find an alternative way out, the trio delves deeper and deeper into the earth’s core.

Moments of peril and several jump scenes (that may scare very young viewers) accompany them as they encounter carnivorous plants, petrified mushrooms and magnesium explosions. Relying on a copy of Jules Verne’s novel and notes scribbled in it by another scientist, the threesome navigate across a underground ocean, through magnetic fields and over bubbling lava in an attempt to return to the surface.

Donning a pair of 3D glasses and settling down with a big bag of popcorn, audiences will have to suspend all scientific reality and to put up with some points of the story that dawdle along at a ponderous pace. Yet overall, Journey to the Center of the Earth is a voyage with plenty of action adventure and limited concerns for almost all family viewers, as they are whisked away on a subterranean venture to the center of the earth

Starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem. Running time: 93 minutes. Theatrical release July 10, 2008. Updated

Journey to the Center of the Earth
Rating & Content Info

Why is Journey to the Center of the Earth rated PG? Journey to the Center of the Earth is rated PG by the MPAA The MPAA has rated Journey to the Center of the Earth PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.

Devoid of any inappropriate language, this film contains two brief kisses between consenting adults. The only other concerns for parents will be some scary, jump scenes and moments of intense, perilous action as the characters encounter dinosaurs, flesh-eating plants, and prehistoric fish. As well, they experience a wild, rollercoaster ride in an old mine shaft, fall through a thin layer of earth and are carried off by a kite. The explorers are also exposed to an explosion, boiling water, hot lava and a careening slide down the side of a mountain.

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Journey to the Center of the Earth Parents' Guide

What events in Sean’s life may contribute to his attitude when he arrives at his uncle’s house? What experiences change his outlook?

What impact can sci-fi writing have on real science? What inventions do we enjoy now that might have been considered science fiction years ago?

Jules Verne wrote a number of novels during his lifetime. To learn more about his author and his work, visit: http://www.online-literature.com/verne/

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Journey to the Center of the Earth movie is October 28, 2008. Here are some details…

On January 17, 2012, New Line Cinema is releasing Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D on Blu-ray.

DVD Release Date: 28 October 2008

Journey to the Center of the Earth with the DVD release of this movie. The excursion comes equipped with an audio commentary by actor Brendan Fraser, featurettes and the interactive Adventures at the Center of the Earth Challenge.

You can also Journey to the Center of the Earth on Blu-ray Disc. In addition to the aforementioned extras, this version offers a digital download of the 2D movie.

Audio tracks are avialable in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and Spanish), with subtitles in English and Spanish.

Related home video titles:

During the 1950s, two of Jules Verne’s novels, Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, were made into motion pictures. Older viewers may enjoy Dante’s Peak, a disaster movie about a volcano that rains down ash and lava on an unsuspecting community. Josh Hutcherson also plays a 10-year-old who is blasted into an outer space adventure when he and his younger brother begin playing a mysterious board game in Zathura.

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