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by Frank Wilkins
I'm embarrassed for all those involved in this film and I'm ashamed at myself for being seen in the theater watching The Core. These actors are above this and they should all know better. Most are known for their roles in smarter, independent, character studies, so why they would even entertain the thoughts of starring in such a cheesy cornball is beyond me.

Let's get to the core of what is wrong with this movie – and yes, the pun is indeed intended! For the sake of having something to write about, I'll focus on its poorer assets. But first, something about the plot. It seems the Earth's molten core has stopped spinning, causing en electromagnetic field failure that will eventually lead to the planet's doom. If you're not sure about the importance of the electromagnetic field, wait till you see what happens to birds as they lose their navigational capabilities, and what about pacemakers that are installed in the hearts of so many humans around the world. And don't forget about the navigational abilities of aircraft including the space shuttle.

In a desperate attempt to give the Earth's now idle core a much needed jumpstart, a coalition of scientists is assembled to dig to the center of the earth with the aid of a futuristic burrowing device in order to detonate a series of nuclear devices that will then set off a chain reaction to set the core in motion once again.

After heroically bringing an endangered space shuttle down in the city of Los Angeles, Maj. "Beck" Childs (Hilary Swank) is chosen to commandeer the burrowing "Virgil" and to lead the coalition of fellow "terranauts". Her fellow diggers include a pilot played by Bruce Greenwood, scientists Aaron Eckhart, Stanley Tucci and Tcheky Karyo and the builder of "Virgil" played by Delroy Lindo.

The problem with this movie is not the acting. They all give valiant efforts, but are still unable to save this film from its campy script and its implausible plot. In a nod to director Jon Amiel, we see the heroism in their faces and the genuine turmoil and conflict between them that surely must be a by-product of such a journey, but I'm not sure if writers Cooper Layne and John Rogers intentionally intended for this film to be a tongue-in-cheek sci-fi action comedy. Take the following quote for instance - "I came here to save my wife and kid. I just hope I'm brave enough to save three." Puhleeze! Its almost as if half way through production, they decided to abandon the no-nonsense approach and pump up the buffoonery. Problem is, its humor doesn't work either and its attempts at borrowing clichés of other movies of the genre are far too obvious to be considered clever filmmaking. The Birds, Armageddon, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Fantastic Voyage come to mind, but all three should feel as if they've been raped of their dignity.

Despite its $85 million budget, of which I'm sure the majority was spent on special effects, The Core looks more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a realistic big-budget motion picture. The whales looked like play toys, the Earth's mantel looked like a cartoon drawing of the inside of a lava lamp and the digging vessel looked fake, unimaginative and like it couldn't dig through anything. If you are going to spend all this money on special effects, at least make a cool ship!

Perhaps if taken in with the understanding that it pokes fun at itself (intentionally or not), and with the realization that it takes up only 2-hours of our long lifetime, it might go down a bit easier. Learning about the Earth's geology was indeed interesting and educational, but that doesn't make up for the insult to my character.

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