I remember as a child being quite fascinated by the original movie version of "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" and for a little while was convinced that dinosaurs did indeed still roam the center of our planet. It's the kind of idea that really grabs at the imagination of a young child and once it's dug into your little brain it stays there for quite some time. I presume that for Jules Verne it never went away. So when I saw a remake, I was a little excited.
Brendan Fraser has sort of carved himself a little niche in Hollywood, having given up on being a variety of apprently retarded funny guys, he is now the action hero adventure for family movies. Not that The Mummy was a family movie as such, but it's the movie that really pushed him into the niche that he is in. It's a comfortable, and quite clearly rewarding life. Journey must have been a great pitch for the producers:
Prod: "Yes, well we need CGI. LOTS of CGI."
Exec: "That sounds expensive..."
Prod: "We have a cast of ten."
Exec: "Only ten?"
Prod: "And for 90% of the movie it's down to three."
Exec: "I like your thinking..."
Prod: "The only name we have is Brendan Fraser."
Exec: "You have a greenlight!!!"
I do like Brendan Fraser, actually. He's a pretty good actor and I enjoy watching him in most movies, but seriously if he's the guy you are outlaying money to, you're on a good wicket. Aside from Brendan, you also have the kid from "Bridge To Terebithia" and he's pretty good, having a nice rapport with Fraser and a believability about him. That just leaves Anita Briem, an Icelandic actress who is absolutely hot throughout the entire movie. She spends the movie in tight short shorts, and so there is pretty much nothing wrong with her.
Don't go and see this movie to be seriously challenged or emotionally drained. This is an action-adventure flick, plain and simple with a huge dash of sci-fi thrown in. It's a family movie, and succeeds well, in that there is something for all ages to enjoy in the film.
"B+"
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