When I was young, I always got excited about anything from Jules Verne. Writing in an age without radio, without television and without motion pictures, he was the Steven Spielberg of his time. A contemporary of Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo, the French born Science Fiction writer with an imagination on the level of Leonardo Da Vinci, transformed his thoughts into stories that delight readers even to this day. His most notable works are "Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864)", "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (1869)", and "Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)". Naturally, when I saw this movie advertised, my interest was piqued. Unfortunately, the product did not live up to expectations.

The movie itself is only loosely based on the Verne novel. Introducing new characters and a new generation to the works of Verne, director Eric Brevig does it with an unusual twist. The new characters discover that a society of "Vernians", (those people who actually believe the center of the Earth as Verne recorded it really does exist), may be on to something. Using the actual Verne novel and cryptic notes left by relatives in the columns of the volumes, an unlikely trio of adventurers ends up trapped below the surface of the planet and must find a way to escape. What ensues is a classic adventure story ending in success, romance and wealth clearly intended for a younger audience.

Rated "PG", this movie barely beats the "G" tag. With modern special effects so advanced, this movie chooses to use very little of that. The special effects of this movie are barely out of the 60's or 70's and used sparingly. In fact, the 1959 version of the movie starring James Mason, Pat Boone and Arlene Dahl may actually feature better cinematography. The movie is hoky, corny, contrived, predictable and far-fetched. In that sense, it is everything that makes a "kid's" movie entertaining to them. Make no mistake about it, this movie is intended for the younger generation, (maybe up to about age 13), and not a serious attempt to do either Jules Verne or his novel any justice. Nonetheless, it may inspire youngsters to investigate Verne more, visit the library more, and even read instead of playing video games. In short, your kids will like the movie a lot more than you will.

I rate this movie a "B-". There just is nothing special, creative or particularly imaginative about it. Even rating it with other movies intended for younger audiences, it rates no better. Probably the only redeeming quality of this movie is that it introduces a new, younger audience to a classic, science fiction author they otherwise might never know.