Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'll give it a thumbs up!, 30 Oct 2008
Well, there's already the known classic movie based on Jules Verne's timeless book. Fact is, in the trendy "Let's shoot all the film classics new!"-hype, there could basically be no such better adventure than "Journey to the center of the earth." In todays computer-driven blockbusters, the whole power of Vernes epic idea could blast us from our seats in the 21st century if the production would be appropriate.
Eric Bervig, directing this movie, did all in all a fine job. The cast with Brandan Fraser is quite good and he is doing a nice performance. I will not go into detail here regarding the storyline. All of you might be more interested in how the long anticipated blu ray release turns out.
The movie was intentionally done to be produced and shot in 3D, which means that two cameras have to face the objects from a different view, then in post-production the material is being rendered with green and red shapes (one from each camera) and in addition to the included 3D-glasses in the package, you simulate your brain that acutally you are in the movie!
Question is, how great turns the technology out? "Bugs! Adventures in the Rainforest" was a 3D HD-DVD Release last year that had the same technology. Trouble was, the Hi Def picture lost a bit sharpness and contrast in 3D-Mode, but was looking stunning in 2D.
Here, in "Journey...." we have the complete Opposite.
Picture:
Let's get straight to the point: The Movie in 3D is just AWESOME!!!! Thankfully, there is no big loss of Hi Def picture quality in 3D and you will be amazed, on how incredibly detailed rocks, skins, hairs or other objects will be. The moment when the trio enters the big cave is absolutely stunning in its beauty. Colors are bright, detail is crisp and contrast solid. Some scenes may have a bit loss of 3D effect, but thats not a lot.
The producers put actually two times the movie on the 50 GB disc. According to my codec-o-meter of the PS3, the data flow in 3D is MUCH higher than the 2D picture version. It seems that the director wanted the 3D Version of the movie to become the featured part on the blu ray and gave it a moren than solid compression.
The 2D picture looks quite nice, but once you saw the film in 3D, you never want to switch back again. In 2D, some scenes look a bit soft and blurry, sometimes lacking the incredible sharp detial that is Hi Def. All in all, the 2D HD picture is still very good and worth a Blu Ray release in every case. I guess that the director gave a shot to the 3D mode in production, that is why the compression flow of the 2D version was intentionally a bit lower.
Included on the disc are three short featurettes, thankfully all in HD!
You will get four 3D glasses and a bonus digital copy disc of the film to be shown on iPod etc.
Parting toughts:
"Journey To The Center Of The Earth" might be the most interesting blu ray release at the moment when it comes to the incredible 3D effect. Imagine this movie to be shown in 3D on a 70" LCD or projector screen!
The supplemental stuff is satisfying. This blu ray showcases the actual power that is Hi Def in a whole new way and might be an inspiration to other filmmakers or producers to show off cinema in a different way...
Picture:
2D: 7/10
3D 9.5/10
Audio:
English DTS-HD: 8/10
Bonus Stuff: 7/10
Note: The US-Blu Ray is region code free!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dibs on the mountain guide., 15 Nov 2008
We have seen Brendan Fraser movies at only maintained the title and not the meat of the true story, such as "The Mummy", who doesn't look a thing like Peter Cushing (1959). Now we are presented with "Journey to the Center of the Earth." However this movie does give us a good synopsis of the story. And it is very much fun to watch.
Prof. Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) has lost a brother. Professor Anderson's nephew Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) has lost a father. Well circumstances force them to spend some time together. They realize that they might be able to find the lost Max Anderson and make a trip to Iceland in pursuit. They are bigger and across the tasty mountain guide Hannah Ásgeirsson (Anita Briem), who has recently lost her father. Both Hannah's father, and Trevor's brother had one thing in common; they were Vernians. So all three each bringing their own unique talents, set off to find the lost Max Anderson.
I first watched the 2D version of this movie in Blu-ray high definition. Some of the scenes were quite beautiful, such as the diamonds that had the lights behind them, so they would glisten in the cave. The movie did look a little bit like it was cranked out at the last minute with a lot of things not thought out. However, it was still fun for the time that it lasted.
Now it was time to watch the 3-D version. I put on my trusty red and green glasses that came with the DVD. I must say I'm not really sure why they switched from red and blue to red and green. However it might have something to do with the fact that televisions are made up of three colors of light red, green, and blue. The military also change their lighting from red at night light to green night light for some reason. So there is something afoot that we are not aware of. In any event it took about 15 seconds to get used to the new color environment. And I must say that some of the scenes are spectacular. The trilobite at first may be halved almost at back of the seat. Of course with the exception of the color change the technology has not changes since the origins of 3D. Other scenes instead of extending out into the viewer's space recessed back and looked like the old stereoscopic slides. Once in a while there looked like a pain of glass with a reflection of what was behind it. I am not sure if this was sloppy manufacturing or beyond the technology even of today. No matter the problem it is well worth the viewing and I hope this will catch on as an industry option.
This comes with a digital download. I have not tried it yet. I have watched the picture in picture voice over which added to the second viewing.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I Really Wish I Had Read the Book.", 31 Oct 2008
Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) is a professor trying to carry on his late brother's work. His brother studied earthquakes and volcanoes. But the university is losing interest and it looks like the lab will be shut down.
That same day, Trevor's nephew is dumped on his door step for a few days. Trevor hasn't seen Sean (Josh Hutcherson) in years. It looks to be an awkward time until Trevor finds an old copy of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth that his brother had marked up. As he begins to interpret his brother's comments, he begins to think there may be more going on than he knows about.
As so the two set off to Iceland. Hiring Hannah (Anita Briem), they set out to recover a probe. But a series of events find them falling into a magical world. Can they find their way out?
I went in expecting a highly fun, fantasy adventure. And I got just what I had bargained for. The movie takes a fairly healthy dose of suspension of belief, but considering the premise, I didn't have a problem with that at all.
This is a special effects heavy movie with the plot at times being nothing but an excuse for them. But they were amazing. And the plot works, too. Yes, it's predictable, but it is fun, so that didn't matter to me.
Granted, it helped that I cared for the characters. And the acting by the three leads was good enough to draw me into the story.
For all my praise, I do have two complaints. The first is the pacing. The movie took a little too long setting things up before the adventure really started. Secondly, the ads for the movie gave away too much of the story. I sure wish marketing departments would figure that out.
The film is rated PG due to the action elements. It will be too intense for kids who get scared easily. But any kids who can handle some suspense will love it.
So if you are looking for a family movie night, give this one a chance. If your kids won't be scared by it, you'll all enjoy an amazing trip.
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