Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I went into this movie expecting crap, because it was made for TV, but I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was very good, with each actor seeming very comfortable in their characters. Treat Williams and Jeremy London worked very well as a uncle/nephew team, and Hugh Keays-Byrne delivered some serious laughs as Scottish gun smuggler-turned-guide McNiff. Bryan Brown portrays the film's antagonist with equal arrogance and intensity; very entertaining.The problem is most people were expecting a good quality movie. The reality is, this was made for TV, and if you lower your expectations completely, it's actually a good movie.The science is flawed, but so was Verne's, so no harm no foul. The special effects are bad, but like I said, it's made for TV. The scenery and locations are engaging and very cool. The caves are somewhat cheesy at times, but that's easily unnoticed if you pay attention to the characters. The action is visibly fake at times, especially the gunfire and fistfights, but not in a bad way.All in all, the film contains very likable characters, genuine humor, and a very good soundtrack (another thing most reviews fail to mention). Just watch it in good humor and enjoy the story.

I purchased this DVD in the Walmart bargain bin, it was bundled with a free copy of the 2005 TV movie "Jules Verne's Mysterious Island" starring Rene Mac Lachian. This made for TV movie (JTTCOTE) does have some decent special effects but the story line takes too many liberties and detracts from the original Verne novel. It's a mediocre watch but the special effects makes it somewhat palatable. The acting is above average with Jeremy London (JONAS LYTTON) putting forth the best performance of all the actors. All in all it's something to watch on a rainy day when you want to watch a science fiction movie with better then average special effects.

A dapper group of explorer's journey underground to find the woman's husband, and make scientific discoveries. Apparently they descend a few miles into the Earth, rather than to the center of the Earth. They meet many threatening creatures, but thankfully have a gun and amazing luck. I was surprised that they were always unruffled and clean shaven, but cleanliness is next to Godliness, right? If you can watch this without any knowledge of the Jules Verne classic, you may enjoy it. It actually was a bit entertaining. After 2 hours I thought it must be 3 hours. After 3 hours I decided it must be 4. I can't say that i would have watched it, if I knew it was that long, but it did kinda hook me in. the special effects were OK, not great. My wife liked it, and doesn't remember if she ever saw the '59 version. I did see the '59 version and it has always been a favorite of mine. Too bad they couldn't've found a different title.

To all viewers, do not be fooled by what appears on the front cover for the VHS of this made-for-television movie. If you want to see explorers running away from a tyrannosaurus rex or from velociraptors as the cover indicates, you will be disappointed. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is not a film about dinosaurs. There are a few dinosaurs in it, but they're just a minor, almost unimportant subplot. The film revolves more around explorers in a prehistoric world deep underground making friends and relations with a tribe of primitive humans who are at war with a race of humanlike reptiles called Sauroids. The film was made on a limited budget, as one can tell by its at times, bad graphics. But what it does manage to do is to become entertaining with a well-acted cast, at times silly dialogue, fun action sequences, and is overall, a film that is just as long as it should be, at least for me.