Back in 1959 Pat Boone starred in a big screen adaptation of the classic Jules Verne novel. Now, nearly 50 years later, we have traded in Pat Boone for Brendan Fraser, and dropped the adaptation in favor of inspiration. On top of that, they have dropped the idea of high action and adventure in favor of a gimmicked flick that cashes in on the renewed interest in 3D film processing.

The end result is a film that is fun, but in an amusement park ride kind of way. So far as the use of the 3D processing goes (using the RealD process), it looks pretty good, but I cannot say that it made this a better "film." In any case, this is well worth taking a peek at on the big screen if you are looking for safe, family-oriented fun. If there is a child 10 years or under in the equation, they will love this journey.

I must admit, the trailer did not grab me. Aside from the "We're still falling!" line, I was left completely nonplussed, although the idea of seeing it in 3D was intriguing. To this point I had only seen a couple of 3D films and they were of the animated variety (Beowulf and The Nightmare Before Christmas) and only one was made with the process in mind. So, I decided that if I was going to see it, I was going to see it in 3D; besides, the scenes seemed to be geared so much towards the gimmick that watching it projected flat just strikes me as pointless.

The story is a simple one. Trevor (Brendan Fraser) is a professor teaching small college classes while continuing the work of his missing brother, who disappeared ten years earlier. To help jump start the story, Trevor is scheduled to spend some time with his nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson), a visit that coincides with a new discovery regarding his brother's research. This sends the uncle/nephew team to Iceland, where they are joined by Hannah (Anita Briem), who lives near the caves where Trevor's brother disappeared.