Indiana Jones helped set a new standard for adventure movies that showed the only true limits were the imaginations of its creators. However, it wouldn’t be till over a decade later that adventure movies evolved to the next level by fully embracing the terror of the supernatural with 1999’s The Mummy. The movie was both a feat in special effects and entertainment as it retold the story of the Universal Studios Classic Monster with a more energetic flair. One of the best elements of the movie proved to be Brendan Fraser as the charismatic but often brash adventurer Rick O’Connell, who faced the mummy with his allies.
Fraser’s role in the movie helped his star rise even further, and when many remember his past works, his time in The Mummy franchise comes up almost immediately. Even still, while Fraser took some time off from physically demanding roles after 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, he starred in a forgotten adventure movie in the same year. Journey to the Center of the Earth took adventure back to its roots but offered new gimmicks for viewers as it embraced the 3-D craze to deliver a story worth revisiting.
Journey to the Center of the Earth Captured the Novel’s Wonder
Inspired by Jules Verne’s novel, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, the movie followed Volcanologist Trevor (Fraser), his nephew and Hannah, the daughter of a scientist who traveled with Sean’s father to find the center of the Earth. Under the impression that Verne’s novel was inspired by real accounts, they found that Sean’s father was lost in his journey but that their assumptions were real. Like the novel, the movie served as a celebration of the prehistoric eras of Earth with dinosaurs and plant life that existed around that time, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, it also opened the mind to the possibilities of strange worlds that could live within the Earth.
To truly capture the wonder of Verne’s novel, the movie loosely followed the book’s narrative, with the entrance being found in Iceland, but it also bolstered the fun with the addition of 3-D. At the time, the 3-D movie craze had returned to theaters, only with updated technology that could truly enhance the movie-going experience. Many of the scenes were even filmed for the technology, which added more depth and excitement, specifically for younger viewers. From seeing floating rocks come out of the screen to carnivorous plants attacking, 3-D proved to be one of the best ways to experience the best parts of Verne’s novel.
Brendan Fraser Offered Something Different From The Mummy
The Mummy movies introduced Rick O’Connell as a scoundrel who did what he could for fortune and excitement. However, his adventures ultimately led to him facing off against a living mummy and his undead army. Rather than turn tail and run, he used his training and quick thinking to get the drop on the many mummies he encountered. Even still, O’Connell wasn’t as versed on Ancient Egypt as his wife, Evie, was, which led to him getting in over his head on more than one occasion. Yet, no matter how often the odds were against him, O’Connell proved that his will to live was more powerful than many believed. Compared to Fraser’s character in Journey to the Center of the Earth, Trevor wasn’t nearly as similar.
Fraser’s character in Journey to the Center of the Earth was similar to The Mummy‘s O’Connell, only in that he was immensely brave and resourceful when it counted. However, when there was no peril, Trevor was a character that loved science and the thrill of discovery to the point that the real world often escaped him. This was proven early on when Sean learned that Trevor’s lab was no longer being funded, even though he was still completely enthralled in his research. Trevor wasn’t a consistent field man like characters such as Indiana Jones was. Though he was a volcanologist, it was clear he was used to doing things the safe way, and the journey he was on in the movie was one of the most exciting he had been on in some time. As a whole, Trevor was a far cry from what O’Connell turned out to be in The Mummy movies.
While both characters couldn’t be further apart in personality, Trevor showed moments where O’Connell’s best qualities could be shown. For starters, though he showed fear, he never ran from it. A great moment that showed this was when he and Hannah were trapped by carnivorous plants. In the scene, Trevor immediately started fighting the plants and even ripped one from its roots to save Hanna from being strangled by its vines. Trevor was also the one who hung over molten lava to ignite the rocks below and awaken the volcano to escape. While he wasn’t as daring as O’Connell, Trevor used that character’s bravery to perform acts that helped them survive, even if he failed in the process.
Journey to the Center of the Earth Deserves a Revisit
Journey to the Center of the Earth didn’t have the same level of attention as The Mummy movies, but that hasn’t discounted what it offered for the adventure genre. With its 3-D, the film showed the potential it had to push technology in cinema in a way that worked and enhanced rather than hindered the suspension of disbelief. It also offered a fantastic look at Verne’s classic novel by honoring many story beats without overly altering its main goal of telling a fun adventure.
After over a decade, while it may not be nearly as memorable as other movies of the same genre, it still offered a great level of fun, thanks to Brendan Fraser’s performance. It offered shades of Rick O’Connell while forming a new character that wasn’t afraid to show fear or excitement believably. In the end, Journey to the Center of the Earth deserves its spot in the world of adventure movies as it showed that classic stories could still be told for modern audiences. It also reminded longtime fans that while there are new adventures always coming out, nothing can beat the original tale.
