At Home on the Couch with JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH: 3-D

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Another step forward in the technological revolution is here! And it is... the same-old same-old. We had high hopes for enjoying the DVD version of Hollywood's new Jules Verne-inspired Journey, particularly when we learned it had been formatted for 3-D viewing. According to Variety, the movie, after four months of theatrical release and surprisingly consistent business at the box-office, has just passed the $100,000,000 mark, and most educated guesses peg the reason for this success on the ever-recurring "novelty" of 3-D.

As one of those who remember quite well the advent of the original spate of 3-D movies (Bwana Devil, The Maze, House of Wax and many more) -- of which we kids could not get enough, even though our parents yawned and claimed that this spanking new process gave them a headache -- I have now myself come full circle into that head-achy state. A year or two back I attended a screening of a 3-D African Safari movie in New York City's IMAX and found it semi-enjoyable. About half the screen seemed slightly out of focus for most of the running time (which was mercifully short). The effects were fun (for awhile) but the overall feeling I was left with was: This again? And not much better, after all these years?

And that, I am afraid, is my judgment on the new 3-D Journey, at least as it appeared from our couch on a large, widescreen TV. One of the first "effects" -- the appearance of a trilobite -- is cute and offers just about everything that (so far) 3-D is made for. From then on the movie's 3-D effects are either status quo or downhill. So much so, in fact, that my partner removed his 3-D glasses after a very few minutes and we decided to eject the DVD and turn it to the reverse side, where we could watch in 2-D. Once finished, I went back and watched again in 3-D. Believe me, the movie does not merit a second viewing unless you are very, very young. It is a pleasant enough family adventure film, heavy on thrills and short on violence, with a tiny cast (3 people throughout most of the movie!) that works well together: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson and Icelandic actress Anita Briem. The dialog is passable and sometimes cute, the screenplay gives a genuine and certainly earned nod to original author Jules Verne, and the special effects -- explosions, giant sea creatures, dinosaurs -- are well-enough handled. It's the 3-D effects that lack: out-of-focus backgrounds coupled to the "dark" quality that comes, I am guessing, from the viewing via those red/blue glasses.
Will the kids care? Certainly not, and parents will probably go along for the ride. But if you are planning to rent the DVD (in our current economic times, why buy?) where will you find it? Probably at your local, independent video store -- which may be a rare boon for this disappearing breed. I rented it from my local store here in Jackson Heights, complete with two pair of 3-D glasses, one pair of which was pretty mangled. I took these back and exchanged them for a new pair. If you rent movies on line, forget about 3-D, as Netflix, GreenCine and Blockbuster are not supplying the glasses. I expected that Blockbuster would be smart and offer glasses with its in-store rental of the film. But no: According to my local Jackson Heights BB store, you've got to purchase the film in order to get the glasses. There is, however, another option: You can buy paper or plastic 3-D glasses on-line. In quantity, I believe -- but what the heck: You'll then be ready for all the upcoming 3-D features sure to hit DVD in the months/years to come.

So go ahead: be a kid again (particularly if you're the parent of a young child). But park your brain -- and some of your vision capability -- elsewhere.