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The Core (Widescreen Edition)

The Core (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $12.99
Your Price: $11.69
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: dumb and formulaic
Review: If you've seen Armageddon,you've already seen this. Throw in some Fantastic Voyage, and that's pretty much it. I didn't care about the bad science -- everything else was weak. Not just the story, script, and acting, but the special effects as well. Lots of boring cliches here, too -- nerdy kid computer genius (who has a remarkably ugly nose by the way), unethical scientist who knows something everybody else doesn't, fish-out-of-water good guy suddenly conscripted to save the day, good black guy who dies. Plus, famous landmarks get destroyed! The only part of the movie that worked for me was the opening scene, where pigeons go nuts because of some disturbance in the Earth's electromagnetic field and start crashing into everything. That set up a creepy feeling of dread that this End Of The World flick should have, but did not, maintain throughout.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Armageddon from Deep Inside of the Earth; So-so Sci-fi Film
Review: "The Core" is nothing but fun, I know, but as the cast is very impressive and the company is Hollywood major studio Paramount Pictures (the one renowned for "Star Trek" series), I expected pretty much from the film. This sci-fi film is not so bad as critics might find. Only too familiar, that is the problem.

The opening part is very effectively spooky, thanks to the director Jon Amiel ("Copycat"). Strange things start to happen all over the world -- one of them is re-enactment of Hitchcock nightmare -- and scientists are assembled to investigate the case. The truth behind the disasters turns out something not very encouraging; the inner core of the earth has stopped moving, and the world as we know is to meet the end very soon.

So the story starts well, but soon becomes something very familiar, like the updated fashion of "The Jorney to the Center of the World." The scientific theory is replaced by the uninspired ideas, and when the crew of the subterranean ship "Virgil" is gathered, we know that instead of Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, we see such faces as Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart, Delroy Lindo, Tcheky Karyo, Stanley Tucci, and Bruce Greenwood (whose previous film was most appropriately the submarime film "Below".) Well, the cast is not bad, though.

Nevertheless, the film gradually shows the lack of any kind of originality, and if you have seen "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact," you can predict every twist in the storyline. Sure, somebody must go, and during the comparatively long running time of the film, some cities must go, too. The underground scenes are realized pretty good CGIs, but you cannot deny the fact that those scenes also somehow betray the limits of our imagimation, while we are looking closely at them. Because no one has ever seen the core of the earth, the visuals have to rely on our own creativity. So, I thought, these images could have been much more surprising and even wilder, but strangely, the visuals look as if telling the film takes itself too seriously.

The main trouble with the film is not, however, those parts. The cast, especially Swank and Eckhart both talented professionals, look miscast in the role they are playing. They look neither enthusiastic nor cool as the hero and heroine of the film which requires the wit of Indie Jones or the dedication of Ripley. Only Stanley Tucci convinces us as the pompous doctor, breathing life into cardboard character. And "The Core" uses some ideas that might make you sigh at some points, and some players are typecast. See, for example, D.J. Qualls (the geeky guy in "Road Trip") cast as a computer wiz. I guess he deserves much different types of roles, but the studio would probably listen.

Corny and predictable, but as an updated B disaster film "The Core" ends up so-so.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Rent It Before You Buy It.
Review: You Know I Liked This Movie But The Special Effects Ar Worse
Than You Exept. And The Camera Work Is Just Plain Bad,And Ebert&Ropert Gave It 2 Thumbs Down Id Give It 2 Thumbs Down To.
I Mean Come On You Go On A mISSION With 15 Crew Members And Only 2 Survive .

2/5 Stars

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The end of the world never looked so bad
Review: This grim and silly drama is about the imminent destruction of the earth. It seems our government has developed a secret weapon called "Destiny" which can cause devastating earthquakes anywhere in the world. This has caused the earth's core to stop revolving, which in turn has caused the radiation shield around the earth to stop functioning, thus allowing massive amounts of radiation to wipe out the west coast, Rome, and other places around the globe.

Who will be chosen to go to the earth's core to nuke it and save mankind? Enter Hillary Swank as a top astronaut and Aaron Eckheart as a noted physics professor. They and three others build and fly an earthship down, down, down, to the center of the earth carrying four nuclear bombs.

Are you still with me? I, for one, was ready to bail at this point, because it was just too unbelievable. The fact that the actors played it with poker faces made it even more absurd. ... Suffice it to say that the world is now safe thanks to these two brave heroes.

The dialogue here is completely predictable, as is the action (what little there is.) The special effects ARE well-done, but there is never any sense of danger, because the lead actors take it all in stride as just another day at the office. Neither Swank nor Eckheart were convincing in their roles, so despite a big-budget-look, the film falls flat. I guess this is a "guy-movie." A better film to watch (of the same genre) would be the old James Mason flick, "Journey to the Center of the Earth." That was a fantasy, too, but at least it had dinosaurs to entertain us.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: *Sigh* Another End of the World Movie
Review: There is not much to say about this movie. The plot is bad, it is to fake. Save your money, you could see a better movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Bore
Review: YAWN!!! What a ridiculous insult of a movie!!! If you enjoyed this, you probably either collect Pokemon cards, or you think Limp Bizkit is the "koolest" guy on Earth. This is convulted and contrived.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Entertaining update of the 50's disaster/sci-fi movie
Review: The Earth's core has stopped spinning. Although playing a bit of Motown might have solved the problem, it's decided to send a team of terranauts to the Earth's core in hopes of jumpstarting it with a series of nuclear bombs. Jon Amiel's entertaining flick is a bit light on the science (although more plausable than Journey to the Center of the Earth)but a nice update on the classic disaster/sci-fi flick that was standard fare during the 50's and early 60's. Playing like an entertaining cross between Fantastic Voyage and Journey, it has all the right elements for a light disaster flick.

The optical effects range from very good to astonishing (I was less impressed with the collapse of the Golden Gate Bridge than the destruction of Rome). Some of the science is accurate and works but there's enough credibility holes to drive a truck through. I do have to disagree with Roland Zwick's review about the time spent in the confines of the ship as it burrows to the core; the confined, claustrophoic setting works in favor of the film. Also, Amiel has a "b story" that looks at the effects of the disaster on the surface of the Earth. The performances are quite good as well with Stanley Tucchi and Bruce Greenwood virtually stealing their scenes from the stars of the picture. Greenwood is a marvelous actor whose potential has not been realized by movie directors (with few exceptions). Tucchi plays the gloryhound physics professor and National Security Advisor role to the hilt; he also manages to invest some interesting character touches in what might otherwise have been a one dimensional role.

Amiel stated that his purpose was to do an update on films like Fantastic Voyage and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Those films managed to overcome many of their b-movie cliches through the strong performances and effects work in each film. Amiel has achieved his purpose with this entertaining (if overlong)and tongue-in-cheek disaster film. There are many that have attacked the film as contrived and cliched without realizing that Amiel is playing with those very conventions of the genre.

The Core entertains without stretching the scientific truth too much. Amiel has managed to breathe new life into a genre that sunk due to the bloated hyperdirection of films like Armageddon. Enjoy the film and take it for what it is; a Saturday afternoon b movie with an A movie cast, witty script and visual effects.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Core? Perhaps "The Pit" Would Be More Apropos
Review: I can't remember when I've seen a movie with such BAD SCIENCE, perhaps it was one of those 50's creature features. Maybe if they spent some of that precious special effects money on a science advisor they could have made something a little more believable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining Popcorn Flick
Review: Lets face it. This film will never win any Oscars for Best Picture or for Best Acting. This film was made for one reason and one reason only: TO HAVE A GREAT TIME AT THE MOVIES!!! I did not expect much from this film going into it, but I was a bit surprised at just how entertaining this film was. The plot did have its faults and some of the theories and science were just downright laughable, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching an old sci-fi flick from the 60's on a rainy Saturday afternoon.....and I liked that. This is a throwback to the genre of sci-fi movies that were made to entertain and to enjoy..not to debate over. I have to admit that this film does have quite the emotional impact once it gets going....much like the vastly underrated disaster flick "Deep Impact." There was also a felling of caring shared between the characters, like they would do anything to help or to save one another. Of course, we may never know what lies at the center of the Earth(be it C.H.U.D.s, Morlocks or Mole People) but this film certainly does give the viewer a glimpse of what it could be like. Good matinee viewing, but I think this film will really pick up steam when the DVD becomes available for rental.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Refreshing
Review: This movie was a breath of fresh air. No murder, no sex, no foul language and no big stars and yet it works. Good clean fun, makes for an enjoyable night out.

Hollywood moviemakers take note ... we could use more movies like this.


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