The Core

[dh1989]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005JLQ0.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Plot: When the government learns that the Earth's core has stopped spinning, and Earth will be cooked by storms as result of this, a team of scientists are recruited to travel into the core to re-start the planet with nuclear weapons.

Starring: Aaron Eckhart ("The Pledge"), Hilary Swank ("Insomnia"), Delroy Lindo ("The Last Castle"), Stanley Tucci ("Big Trouble"), and DJ Qualls ("The New Guy").

Directed By: Jon Amiel ("Entrapment").

Written By: Cooper Layne (Debut Screenplay) and John Rogers ("American Outlaws" and upcoming "Catwoman").

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi life/death situations and brief strong language.

Thoughts: "The Core" looks like a good bad movie. It is a rip-off of Michael Bay's "Armaggedon" with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. It does have corny lines like "Hot Damn!" It probably is a film designed so the filmmakers can brag about the hundreds of FX shots. Having said that, I can't wait to see it. It looks like big dumb Hollywood fun, and that is what I currently crave somewhat. It is nice to see something that KNOWS it is not high-brow and just delivers stupid, insane fun. I will definitely see this one.

P.S. There was a thread about this film, but I don't see it anymore, and I KNOW it has not dropped off the front page. I am guessing idealdiscountdude deleted it because a bad schmoe created it.

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0298814/1011_08.jpg

[Tom Samborski]

This movie looks so stupid. I almost laughed when I saw the trailer in theaters, and the special effects look mediocre at best.

[dh1989]

.

[Heavenley]

I love disaster films, so yes I'm planning to go see this one.

[blankpage]

And when you thought movies couldn't get any worse, "The Core" is released. Man does this movie look bad. I am still pondering how someone could read the script, and then give millions of dollars to produce a movie like this. Oh well. I avoid this like the plauge.

[Mike]

The special effects look really good. Unfortunately, I think it might be another one of those disaster movies that starts off with a bang (literally) and then gets boring until towards the end when they unleash what everyone had been craving all along, some big ass explosions. Hopefully I'm wrong and it has a lot of awesome effects spread throughout the whole movie, but I'm not sure if that will be the case or not. Either way, it does look pretty good, and while I probably won't see it in theaters, I will definitely rent it when it hits video.

[Strider]

"The Core" looks like a cross between "Armaggedon" and "Deep Impact", and it looks horrible! I will not be seeing this movie, I won't even rent it.

Damn! How did an Academy Award-winning actress such as Hilary Swank end up making such an awful-looking film as this one?

Strider

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by Strider


How did an Academy Award-winning actress such as Hilary Swank end up making such an awful-looking film as this one?

Strider

Money is the only logical conclusion I can come up with.

I do love disaster films, but this one doesn't excite me. As a big fan of "Armegeddon," I think looks way too similar to it.

[Mike]

Geez, I don't think it looks nowhere near as horrible as some of you guys make it sound. Hell, it may even be better than Armageddon. It looks like it could be fun.

[BorderEevilIII]

I am just gonna be cringing when I see landmarks like San Francisco's Golden Gate crumble to pieces as seen in the trailer:(

[Damned Martian]

I think that the fact that this movie is going to be stupid can't be discussed. It WILL be. But the worst thing of this movie is that it looks boring too! It looks like 90 minutes of talking about disasters, showing destructions of famous places as inserts, and then 20 minutes of action! And if a stupid movie is also boring, why the hell am I going to want to see it?
Another thing: the trailer itself tells you probably 90% of the movie, and all of the action sequences, I'm pretty sure.
It will be a 4/10 maximum.

[darkface]

This movie looks horribly dumb IMO. I remember hearing about giving test screenings for this movie. And people didn't like it cause it didn't have enough action scenes. So they delayed it and spent a good deal of money on CGI (which in the commericals look horrible)

i think i'll pass on this. Just not my bag of tea.

[EDsoulsurvive*]

the core looks like shit. But fun, apocolyptic shit, so im so there!

[HHH123007]

I probably won't see it until video release, and I can't see it getting more than Dreamcatcher got from me....a goofy 6/10.

[ilovemovies]

Here is James Berardinelli's bizarre review of the movie:

Core, The
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

United States, 2003
U.S. Release Date: 3/28/03 (wide)
Running Length: 2:13
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Disaster sequences, profanity, bad science)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, Tchéky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, DJ Qualls, Alfre Woodard, Richard Jenkins
Director: Jon Amiel
Producers: Sean Bailey, David Foster, Cooper Layne
Screenplay: Cooper Layne, John Rogers
Cinematography: John Lindley
Music: Christopher Young
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures

If I was to review The Core based on an objective set of cinematic criteria, it would likely score around one-half star (if I was in a generous mood). But such a rating would deny an inescapable fact about this film: at times, it is wildly entertaining. The Core is so howlingly awful that it has unwittingly found a place in that elite group of films that can claim to be "so bad they're good." It is certainly the case that many of the cinema's most horrendous endeavors are unwatchable. Not so in this case. If not for the bloated running length (at 2:13, it's at least 45 minutes too long), it would be easy to recommend The Core. For adventuresome souls who crave this sort of experience, it's worth a look. Bombs of this magnitude with such a high enjoyability quotient don't come along often.

If the average disaster movie falls into the "guilty pleasure" category, then seeing The Core should require a penance. I am hard-pressed to recall any big budget motion picture that has done so many things wrong. Next to this, Armageddon is an example of intelligence and restraint. The writing is abysmal, the acting comes across as a contest to see who can chew on the scenery the fastest and the loudest, and the special effects appear childish and outdated. Badness permeates every frame of The Core. In fact, the movie is so obviously over-the-top and moronic that it wouldn't surprise me to learn that some of the more egregious examples of idiocy are intentional. Director Jon Amiel (Sommersby, Copycat) is a competent director; it's hard to imagine a movie going so far south without a nudge from him. Perhaps at some point, he realized there was no way The Core could be salvaged as a serious endeavor, so he decided to make it into an "intentional unintentional" comedy. Thus, by sabotaging his own work, the filmmaker tried to save it. Or maybe I'm giving Amiel too much credit. Maybe he was just possessed by the ghost of Ed Wood.

The story is simple enough. Bad government people have been mucking around with the natural order of things by trying to develop a weapon that can cause earthquakes anywhere around the globe. In doing this, they have inadvertently stopped the planet's core from spinning, which results in a breakdown of the electromagnetic field. Many disasters are evident throughout The Core (and I'm not just referring to the acting and writing) – pigeons run amok in London (an Alfred Hitchcock homage?), the space shuttle has a rough landing, a superstorm fries the Roman Coliseum, and the solar winds dismantle the Golden Gate Bridge. (How is it that, as heat causes the bridge to disintegrate, the cars on it remain intact as they plunge into the water below?) The solution: send a specially designed craft through the Earth's crust and mantle into the core, detonate a few nuclear (or, as often seems to be the case in Hollywood productions or George W. Bush speeches, "nucular") weapons, and get the rotation going again.

You can stop laughing now. I'm serious. That is the movie's plot. And, believe it or not, the execution is funnier than the description.

The burrowing ship is manned by six stock characters. Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) is a physics professor who has the misfortune of being the first to discover the problem. Dr. Conrad Simsky (Stanley Tucci, wearing a hairpiece that makes William Shatner's look credible) is the nation's premiere geophysicist – and also one of the bad people responsible for the problem. Dr. Edward Brazleton (Delroy Lindo) serves two functions: he designed the ship and he's also the token minority. (Affirmative action is alive and well in save-the-world explorations.) Sergei Leveque (Tchéky Karyo) is the "weapons specialist," whatever that means. More importantly, he's French, and he dies, so that will pacify some viewers in the current political climate. Major Rebecca Childs (Hilary Swank) and Colonel Robert Iverson (Bruce Greenwood) are space shuttle veterans in charge of piloting and navigation, respectively.

I laughed a lot during The Core – at least as often as during either Bringing Down the House or Old School. The film's science is so absurd that even a grade schooler would be able to pick it apart. The dialogue isn't any better. The special effects might have been state-of-the-art two decades ago, but, in today's climate, they look cheesy. How is it that the Earth's mantle bears a remarkable resemblance to the innards of Star Trek: The Motion Picture's V'ger? One of many intriguing questions posed by this film…

As big-budget camp goes, The Core is first-rate. If you take the movie seriously, it's an unmitigated disaster, a surefire walk-out. But, if you adjust your thinking and take the production for what it is (not necessarily what it was intended to be), there is perverse enjoyment to be had.

The movie is being released close to April 1. But who's the butt of this joke?

[Ed]

Originally posted by ilovemovies
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Disaster sequences, profanity, bad science)


bad science, what's that supposed to mean??

[BorderEevilIII]

Originally posted by Ed
bad science, what's that supposed to mean??
MPAA is listing the MOST bizzare reasons when rating the movies nowdays. To answer ur question....Cant tell ya unless I have seen the movie.

[ilovemovies]

I just thought that was joke since the science in the movie is suppose to be laughably aweful

[KcMsterpce]

There is no way in hell I am seeing this movie.
I have seen Deep Impact, Armaggedon, Twister, Dante's Peak, Volcano as well as many others and you know what? They all sucked! So I will not subject myself to this stupidity again.

[dh1989]

Originally posted by ilovemovies
I just thought that was joke since the science in the movie is suppose to be laughably aweful

It is a joke. My first post at the top of this thread says the REAL MPAA classification.

[BarryEgan]

Remember in the mid-90's it seemed like every couple of weeks we would get a disaster-themed blockbuster-wannabe...And can any of you tell me, with a straight face, that you really liked any of them when you look back? Well unfortunately Jon Amiel (Of his works I've only seen Entrapment, and thought practically nothing of that.) decides it's time to bring back the disaster sub-genre...And just in time because we haven't had a big-budget shit-a-thon yet this year.

I read that this was supposed to be a somewhat character-driven film, which in context of these films usually doesn't mean a whole lot, for example, instead of having one or two scenes featuring vomit-inducing lines by an annoying as hell comic relief (here it appears to be DJ Qualls as a character named Rat), there will be PLENTY of scenes featuring vomit-inducing lines by an annoying as hell comic relief character. Plus how many times can we honestly see landmarks of the world blow up and be entertained by them. This just looks like it brings nothing new to the table, which is unfortunate, because I at least like most of the cast in this.

I will probably end up checking it out, but not until it hits DVD or cable.

[Dirkimus]

This movie is going to suck the big one. Im going to see it anyways, it looks like it has excellent eyecandy.

[movies35]

2 hours and 13 minutes!!?? WTF, I was gonna see this but the very long running time for a movie like this that is suppost to suck, I don't even know if I will rent the video.

[Dietrich]

My boyfriend want's to see this badly.. I'm NOT going with him.

[MovieMan75]

This looks like a more intelligent movie than "Armageddon," but it still looks very crappy. I think I'll just rent a movie this weekend...

[TheMovieMinor]

I Have One Word for this Film:

CRAP!

[dh1989]

Originally posted by movies35
2 hours and 13 minutes!!?? WTF, I was gonna see this but the very long running time for a movie like this that is suppost to suck, I don't even know if I will rent the video.

133 minutes is not that long, IMO. Most disaster films run at about the length.....

Deep Impact (1998) - 120 minutes

Armageddon (1998) - 144 minutes

Earthquake (1974) - 123 minutes

Volcano (1997) - 104 minutes

Twister (1996) - 113 minutes

Dante's Peak (1997) - 112 minutes

AVERAGE RUNNING TIME OF DISASTER FILMS - 119 minutes

So it is slightly above the average.

[EDsoulsurvive*]

dh, i didnt work it all out, but if ur only including the movies u listed, there is no way in hell the ave. is 143 minutes. sry i like math so i just had to point this out.

[ANTBond007]

dh, I think you need to re-take a math class. With the running times you've given, the average is 119 minutes.

And shouldn't the title of this film actually be Armageddon 2: The Core?

[dh1989]

Sorry about my poor math. I re-did the calculation and it did come out to 119 minutes. I thought it seemed a bit high. I must've entered a # wrong. Once again, sorry. ;)

[ANTBond007]

Originally posted by dh1989
http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0298814/1011_08.jpg

"I like ya, Moneypenny, I really do. I'd like to take off that sweaty top and get to know ya."

[KillerKlown]

You can't have a film about drilling to the eath's core without Doug Maclure in it...;)

[JustinKing665]

I think The Core looks like decent fun ride at the movies, just what we need to start off the summer season.

Unlike many of the schmoes who've posted in this thread, I greatly enjoyed some of the recent disaster flicks, especially Twister, Deep Impact, and Dante's Peak. The thing about disaster flicks is that they focus more on the characters than most other big-budget action movies. Whereas Armageddon was a dull, loud, poorly made mess, Deep Impact was a moving, emotional, and realistic look at society in the time of a global crisis, and focused more on likable, believable characters than explosions. And the special effects during the ending, when the comet hits the earth, are jaw-dropping.

So, yah, I guess I'm looking forward to this movie, I expect it to probably be a 7/10.

[Gollum]

The Core looks like a complete waste of fucking time IMO.........am I the only schmoe who actually like Armageddon? I gave that movie a 7/10.

[Moviefreek]

I also liked Armageddon..infact I loved it...and even INFACT..i got teary eyed....Guess its one of those guilty pleasures...8/10

as for this....I'll rent it maybe....its a movie with F list actors and Crappy looking effects...and I mean really...going to the earths core?? I doubt it.

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by Moviefreek
I also liked Armageddon..infact I loved it...and even INFACT..i got teary eyed

I completely agree! Only I gave it a 9/10. That being said "The Core" worries me.

[ilovemovies]

Originally posted by Moviefreek
I also liked Armageddon..infact I loved it...and even INFACT..i got teary eyed....Guess its one of those guilty pleasures...8/10

as for this....I'll rent it maybe....its a movie with F list actors and Crappy looking effects...and I mean really...going to the earths core?? I doubt it.


That is not true. Bruce Greenwood, Delroy Lindo and Stanley Tucci are awesome actors! Hilary Swank was great in Insomnia too.

[Scarface98.9]

Ok, so the plot is to get to the center of the core? Ok, this might've worked in Austin Powers 1 as a plan for Dr Evil, considering the whole thing was basically a joke to begin with. But a whole movie that's meant to be taken seriously with a joke plan like that? Please...

[ANTBond007]

Originally posted by ilovemovies
That is not true. Bruce Greenwood, Delroy Lindo and Stanley Tucci are awesome actors! Hilary Swank was great in Insomnia too.

Tucci is hilarious in the trailer. I always crack up when I hear, "What if we could?"

[sharkstank]

i like disaster movies,but this looks horrible.the trailer and tv spots look dreadful.gonna wait for DVD,but maybe it'll be surprisingly fun.

[dh1989]

Originally posted by Moviefreek
and I mean really...going to the earths core?? I doubt it.

No offense or anything, but you have no problem with a plot dealing with men who land on an asteroid with a space shuttle, drill into it, and blow it up, but a team of scientists going into the core bothers you?

[VittO OttivO]

i cant tell if a movie will be bad by its trailer , i liked Armageddon (8/10) and Volcano (8/10)

hated Deep Impact (5/10)

i just wanna know why Gladiator & Armageddon are hated soo much here ?!!

[ANTBond007]

Originally posted by dh1989
No offense or anything, but you have no problem with a plot dealing with men who land on an asteroid with a space shuttle, drill into it, and blow it up, but a team of scientists going into the core bothers you?

Yeah, true, but there's one glaring plothole. The earth's score doesn't actually spin.

[Mike]

Even if it does end up being laughably bad, it could still be a hell of a lot of fun to go see with friends and make fun of.

[Moviefreek]

Originally posted by ANTBond007
Yeah, true, but there's one glaring plothole. The earth's score doesn't actually spin.

This is pretty much what I was trying to go at....I mean..sure landing on an astroid might be unbelivable..but it could happen..but to go and change something as big as the earths core spinning....is a little much.

[dh1989]

Originally posted by ANTBond007
Yeah, true, but there's one glaring plothole. The earth's score doesn't actually spin.

Yeah, but it is highly unlikely that a space shuttle could land on an asteroid safely.

[Scarface98.9]

Originally posted by dh1989
No offense or anything, but you have no problem with a plot dealing with men who land on an asteroid with a space shuttle, drill into it, and blow it up, but a team of scientists going into the core bothers you?
Thing with Armageddon is that we have shuttles, astronauts, nukes, etc. and Michael Bay at the helm, so it'd be relatively possible to believe it, even if there's plot holes abound. But when a movie is serious about a schlock subplot from Austin Powers, it's not buyable. There's simply no way that a crew can go to the core. A shuttle may not be able to land on an asteroid, but it stands a better chance.

Dear god, shoot me, for I have sinned. I defended a Bay/Afflect movie :(

[ANTBond007]

Originally posted by dh1989
Yeah, but it is highly unlikely that a space shuttle could land on an asteroid safely.

Unlikely, but the core doesn't spin, so it's impossible to "jump start" it.

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by dh1989
Yeah, but it is highly unlikely that a space shuttle could land on an asteroid safely.

Actually we asked my Physics teacher about it last year, and he said it was very possible. He said using the moons gravity would have a chance of working.

[boo]

This movie looks awful. They showed the trailer when i went to see The Ring. Everybody booed...

[EDsoulsurvive*]

Originally posted by Mike
Even if it does end up being laughably bad, it could still be a hell of a lot of fun to go see with friends and make fun of.

u took the words right outta my mouth :D

[Heavenley]

At the very least it will be entertaining with some neat special effects.

[The Prowler]

I am gonna go out on a limb and say this won't be as bad as Armegeddon. That movie was aweful. The disaster movies I enjoyed were Deep Impact, Twister, and have a guilty pleasure with Dante's Peak.

Entrapment and Copycat were both solid movies so I am hoping I will enjoy Amiel's latest offering. While the cast is solid I am concerned that none have a real draw power at the box office and this movie may tank.

No one liked Mission to Mars and said it sucked and was cheesy but I happened to like it. The Core looks like it has a chance to be entertaining.

[ilovemovies]

It was looking really bad for awhile but the reviews are actually surprisingly mixed. There have actually been some decent reviews for it. Even if the movie had gotten utterly trashed by critics I would still want to see it but I'm glad it's getting some good reviews.

[FeverDog420]

Okay, I just LOVE Ebert's **1/2 review:

Hot on the heels of "Far from Heaven," which looked exactly like a 1957 melodrama, here is "The Core," which wants to be a 1957 science fiction movie. Its special effects are a little too good for that (not a lot), but the plot is out of something by Roger Corman, and you can't improve on dialogue like this:

"The Earth's core has stopped spinning!"

"How could that happen?"

Yes, the Earth's core has stopped spinning, and in less than a year the Earth will lose its electromagnetic shield and we'll all be toast--fried by solar microwaves. To make that concept clear to a panel of U.S. military men, Professor Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) of the University of Chicago borrows a can of room freshener, sets the propellant alight with his Bic, and incinerates a peach.

To watch Keyes and the generals contemplate that burnt peach is to witness a scene that cries out from its very vitals to be cut from the movie and made into ukulele picks. Such goofiness amuses me.

I have such an unreasonable affection for this movie, indeed, that it is only by slapping myself alongside the head and drinking black coffee that I can restrain myself from recommending it. It is only a notch down from "Congo," "Anaconda," "Lara Croft, Tomb Raider" and other films which those with too little taste think they have too much taste to enjoy.

To be sure, "The Core" starts out in an unsettling manner, with the crash-landing of the space shuttle. Considering that "Phone Booth," scheduled for release in October 2002, was shelved for six months because it echoed the Beltway Sniper, to put a shuttle crash in a March 2003 movie is pushing the limits of decorum, wouldn't you say?

And yet the scene is a hum-dinger. The Earth's disturbed magnetic field has confused the shuttle's guidance system, causing it to aim for downtown Los Angeles. Pilot Richard Jenkins insists "it's Mission Control's call," but co-pilot Hilary Swank has an idea, which she explains after the shuttle passes over Dodger Stadium at an altitude of about 800 feet.

If the shuttle glided over Wrigley Field at that altitude, I'm thinking it would have crashed into the 23rd Precinct Police Station by now, or at the very least a Vienna Red Hots stand. But no, there's time for a conversation with Mission Control, and then for the shuttle to change course and make one of those emergency landings where wings get sheared off and everybody holds on real tight.

Other portents show something is wrong with Gaia. Birds go crazy in Trafalgar Square, people with pacemakers drop dead, and then Josh Keyes and fellow scientist Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci) decide that the Earth's core has stopped spinning. To bring such an unimaginable mass shuddering to a halt would result, one assumes, in more than confused pigeons, but science is not this film's strong point. Besides, do pigeons need their innate magnetic direction-sensing navigational instincts for such everyday jobs as flying from the top of Nelson's column to the bottom?

Dr. Zimsky leads the emergency team to the Utah Salt Flats, where eccentric scientist Edward Brazzelton (Delroy Lindo) has devised a laser device that can cut through solid rock. He has also invented a new metal named, I am not making this up, Unobtainium. (So rare is this substance that a Google search reveals only 8,060 sites selling Unobtainium ski gear, jackets, etc.) Combining the metal and the laser device into a snaky craft that looks like a BMW Roto-Rooter, the United States launches a $50 billion probe to the Earth's core, in scenes that will have colonoscopy survivors shifting uneasily in their seats.

Their mission: Set off a couple of nuclear explosions that (they hope) will set the core a-spinnin' again. The Earth's innards are depicted in special effects resembling a 1960s underground movie seen on acid, and it is marvelous that the crew has a windshield so they can see out as they drill through dense matter in total darkness. Eventually they reach a depth where the pressure is 800,000 pounds per square inch--and then they put on suits to walk around outside. Their suits are obviously made of something stronger and more flexible than Unobtainium. Probably corduroy.

The music is perfect for this enterprise: ominous horns and soaring strings. The cast includes some beloved oddballs, most notably DJ Qualls ("The New Guy"), who plays Rat, a computer hacker who can talk to the animals, or at least sing to the dolphins. The only wasted cast member is Alfre Woodard, relegated to one of those Mission Control roles where she has to look worried and then relieved.

"The Core" is not exactly good, but it knows what a movie is. It has energy and daring and isn't afraid to make fun of itself, and it thinks big, as when the Golden Gate Bridge collapses and a scientist tersely reports, "The West Coast is out." If you are at the video store late on Saturday night and they don't have "Anaconda," this will do.

The man sure has a soft spot for movies like this, eh?

[BorderEevilIII]

REFERENCES TO MOVIE CONTAINED:
What I got out of "The Core" can somehow be just like Armageddon 2 in disguise. The movie REALLY made me think, u know what if? But I kinda question the movies vision of this is what the earth's core REALLY looked liked. I thought of Martin Short when he was in Dennis Quaid's body in Innerspace. And seeing images of the world going haywire on various places on earth with definately make you cringe in your seat. The downside of "The Core" is the body count that happens with the main crew doin the mission to help save the earth. You really get attached w/ them characterwise but when "Jerry Bruckheimer" theory of save yourself, Dont worry about me gets a bit overboard. I dont wanna say who lives and dies crew-wise but The Core is worthy of an excursion trip if ur willing to take the ride. 7/10

[Puck Bond]

The Core looks like an entertaining action/disaster film and I can't wait to see it. I love these type of films...I always have. The cast looks pretty decent and the special effects look very good. I plan on seeing it early next week.

[dh1989]

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0298814/C-2725.jpg

Going into The Core, I expected a good "fun" film with exciting action sequences and neat FX. I got just that.....

Aaron Eckhart is the lead here as Josh Keyes. He is a bit bland, but gets the job done nicely. He won't be winning Best Actor for this, but he is servicable.

Hilary Swank is also good as "Beck". It nowhere near the caliber of her performance in Boys Don't Cry, but she is obviously having tons of fun in this flick.

Delroy Lindo and Stanley Tucci steal the show. Their banter is very witty and hilarious. These two light up the screen!

DJ Qualls is fun as the hacker Rat, but considering how much they developed him, he did not have that much to do.

Alfre Woodard and Bruce Greenwood take their thin roles and milk them for all they're worth.

The film does have a great pace. It is never slow and has a nice mix of foreboding and danerous pay-off. My favorite parts were the scenes before the launch into the core, though. I dug how they introduced the characters and equipment.

The special effects are great. Very realistic and they keep your eyes glued to the screen. The best effects are to be found in the Golden Gate Bridge sequence. So realistic, it was a bit creepy.

The story is insane. The characters are zany. That is what makes this flick fun. It is a pure 50's cheese fest. A real joy.

7/10

[bankholdup]

I am bored out of my mind today/tonight, so I think I might check it out. Why not, right?

[DieHardBruceFan]

I really liked THE CORE. I was entertained from start to finish. It is one of those good B-movies that never takes itself too seriously. The cast is great, especially Aaron Eckhart who I've liked since IN THE COMPANY OF MEN.
The special effects aren't bad, but there's nothing really special about them. The most impressive scene effects-wise was the Space Shuttle landing in the beginning of the film.
What I really liked about the film was its sense of humor. Thanks to the cast and the better-than-average script(considering it is a disaster movie), this flick has lots of personality going for it.
If you like disaster movies or sci-fi, then you should enjoy THE CORE. And yes, it could've been called ARMAGEDDON 2, which would've been fine with me, considering that is one of my favorite Bruce Willis movies.

[ilovemovies]

Not a great movie but a very entertaining one. It is really cheesy in parts but also exciting and fun and fast paced and with a great cast all of whom are great especailly Stanley Tucci. On the otherhand Bruce Greenwood and Alfre Woodard are completely wasted in their roles and that was disappointing. But other than that and some choppy editing in a couple of scenes it was well worth my time and money.

One and one last thing. This is not a criticism just an observation but this movie is exactly like Armageddon right down to one scene where they have to pick up straws and the one with the shortest is the one chosen. Just an observation.

*** (out of ****)
7.0 out of 10
Grade: B

[Invincible]

Well here's my little blurb, just came back from the theater...

The Core was decent fun, I liked the opening sequence, very very nice camera movements. Some scenes in the movie were kinda unbelievable, like the laser drilling through the cave, man...but it's only a sci-fi movie, it has its' "unbelievable" moments..it was exciting to see how they travel through the earth and pass the obstacles. A lot of VFX shots, some of them very really corny, and some not. Hillary Swank looked pretty hot! she looks hotter when she's sweaty ;) hehe Aaron Eckhart was actually pretty good in this. He did good. Dj Qualls, well..I liked the hacker! but, the crying scene didn't really do it..wuss! lol. The ending was kool, I liked how he spread all the news to major Network studios. Good way to end it.

Well that's my blurb

overall 8/10 :cool:

[ANTBond007]

It's cheesy, it's stupid, it's fun. The actors tend to play it cheesy (Stanley Tucci, who steals the show), but both Eckhart and Swank do pretty well. The FX, for an "FX Flick," we're pretty weak, but overall, the final picture was pretty fun.

7/10

[free]

I have a question.

In the tv spots and in the Trailers before movies in December, the scene where "the New Guy" is trying to do some computer work. I swear that he says "If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna need Star Trek tapes and Hot Pockets."

Lately, when the tv spot comes on, he says "If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna need Spongebob tapes and Hot Pockets."

Am I going insane????

[Common Sense Man]

Well the only reason I even saw this lame rip of every disaster movie ever made is my wife. She is a disaster movie nut and hey it was at the IMAX theater and I had never seen an IMAX flick so I thought okay.

Well I must say whoever made this crap burger should be hiding in a closet, had any new ideas lately!

Spoilers (if you have never seen a disaster movie, if you have you already know the whole story)


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We all know there is a thing called movie science, but usually they can BS you enough that if you don't have some scientific background you can buy it.

Not in this movie. It is similar to Disney's Black Hole where they walk in space with no suits.

In the Core they walk freely hundreds of miles below the earth in flimsy little suits. They would have been crushed instantly.

And don't even get me started on working in at temps of 9000 degrees when your suit only is rated for 4000. You would not have 3 minutes to fumble around you would be DEAD instantly.

But putting that aside, we have the great surfing the lava tube scene at the end.

This may have worked if they where a couple miles down but not from where they where.

I loved the tense action of those scenes, we cut away and come back with a caption saying 16 hours later! What a joke, they surf up a lava tube for 16 plus hours! That insults my intelligence even when I lower it to watch disaster movies.

Then you add the lightning that only hits landmarks, and follows people down the street, it looked like ID4 for a while.

And one of the funniest gaffs was Project DESTINI it is spelled with an I at the end not a Y. The scientist dude even spells it out for us, but every time we see it spelled it is spelled Destiny. Get your crap together people before you put stuff like this out.

The computer geek was pathetic. He is trying to shut down Destiny and can't get in but hey why not simply shut down the Kentucky power station that is supplying it with power! Dork.

Luckily there where several deaths to pep up the movie a bit unfortunately they all did not die.

I give this poor attempt at a remake of Armageddon-ID4-Journey to the Center of the Earth, a 3/10

Unobtanium! That is something from Rocky and Bullwinkle!

Out..................................

[bullions27]

In the Core they walk freely hundreds of miles below the earth in flimsy little suits. They would have been crushed instantly.

Yep, over half of the audience saw that as well (at least I think they did with the groans). If their ship is composed of this super metal to withstand the incredible pressures of the core, what in the heck did they use to tailor their suits? Super wool from Dolly the cloned Sheep? Well, I suppose skips of logic like this aren't exactly important with flimsy formulaic disaster films, heh. :rolleyes:

[Invincible]

Originally posted by free

Am I going insane????

Nope, didn't see the Spongebob TV spot, but he sure said "Xena tapes" in the movie! :D

[BorderEevilIII]

Originally posted by Invincible
Nope, didn't see the Spongebob TV spot, but he sure said "Xena tapes" in the movie! :D
Spongebob?!?! Thats A First.....
I first heard DJ Qualls say "Kung Fu" in the trailer.....
then it got changed to "Star Trek" being that Star Trek is a Paramount Show/Movie then in the actual movie he actually says Xena.... It so hilarious that they couldnt make up their minds on what they wanted him to say...

[XCoRyX]

i didnt get the chance to check this one out,but im a bit disappointed with its box office numbers.I was almost certain it would finally beat out bringing down the house.

[Common Sense Man]

I havent even seen BDTH but I can say I would rather watch 2 hours of Steve Martin sleeping than see the Core again!

Out.............................................

[JustinKing665]

I saw this movie tonight, and I actually quite enjoyed it.

What made this movie good was intense spectacle of all the action, and the performances given by the actors. This movie actually wasn't that mindless, it took time to develop the characters, all of which are likable and fun to watch in this movie, especially the hacker, played by DJ Qualls.

(8/10)

[BorderEevilIII]

Originally posted by XCoRyX
i didnt get the chance to check this one out,but im a bit disappointed with its box office numbers.I was almost certain it would finally beat out bringing down the house.
Well the position The Core it actually lands in #3 is only its first week run. It could climb but the chances are slim. Audiences around the country are MORE into comedies at the moment.

[The Prowler]

I liked the movie for the most part but didn't care for DJ Qualls. I found him to be very annoying. I did enjoy some of the other characters played by Bruce Greenwood, Delroy Lindo, and Aaron Eckhardt. Hillary Swank was ok but I have always thought that of her. The movie actually picks up the pace midway through and becomes a claustophobic effective sci fi adventure. Like a lot of reviewers have said it does remind you of an updated 50's sci fi flick. Some of the FX was cheesy but in a good way. I was a little tired watching the movie so some of the lava scenes got old and made me doze off for a few minutes but i attribute that to lack of sleep. This movie is harmless little fun and I hope does well at the box office but it doesn't look good so far.

6.5/10

[RogueSpear]

The Core was an exciting and fast-paced albeit extremely preposterous film. The special effects were pretty good, especially the San Francisco Bridge. The characters were all pretty likeable. Overall a pretty good time at the movies.

I would put The Core behind Armageddon but above Deep Impact in the "let's use a nuke to save the world from disaster" genre.

Armageddon - 9/10
The Core - 7/10
Deep Impact - 6/10

[Ghostface 2000]

I think that this movie looks good. The trailers were alright, but i think that you would have to like disaster films to like this movie.

[bskutle]

My worst fear was that this fx-heavy thriller- about a crew of scientists sent into the Earth's core to give it a jumpstart after it's stalled, causing electromagnetic difficulties the world over- was going to be as dumb, lame, and in every way, another "Armageddon" (which you may remember, I am not a fan of). Thankfully, most of my fears are unfounded in the final result. It's still a bit too "gung ho," and has a bit too much of the misplaced and dumb humor that made Michael Bay's doomsday flick insufferable, but the plusses make up for it in spades. The cast (including Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Delroy Lindo) is
terrific and likable, the characters they play are intelligent and lack the smarmy jackassery of "Armageddon's" dirty dozen, the effects are sharp and effective, the science and timeline of the story are not beyond belief, and there's no love story to speak of (meaning no God-awful animal cracker innuendo). It lacks a real "buzz," and some of what happens is too inevitable to get worked up emotionally over, but it's a fine, surprising sci-fi adventure epic to enjoy again.

[Puck Bond]

The Core is an immensely entertaining, fun and cheesy sci-fi/disaster spectacle of a movie and it knows it. I enjoyed every minute of this movie based on the story, dialogue, characters, performances and special effects. I am a sucker for big budget sci-fi disaster type films like Armageddon and Deep Impact...and apocalyptic scenarios I just love...call it the destructive nature in me. The two movies I just mentioned dealt with threats from space by an asteroid and a comet respectively...this time around the threat comes from within the Earth. The spinning outer core of the Earth has effectively stalled or stopped and it is this outer core that keeps the electromagnetic field around the planet working and this field protects us from cosmic radiation and the sun etc. The science isn't my strongpoint, but I've done enough geology to be able to follow along fine. It may be a preposterous scenario but who cares its a sci-fi flick! And to enjoy these type of films, you have to be willing to suspend your belief and go along with it or you will never be able to enjoy these type of films for what they are. The cause of the problem is a secret military weapon named Project Destini...a weapon capable of targeting seismic events (earthquakes/volcanoes) to attack our enemies. Anyway the Earth has about 1 more year to go and within 3 months bad shit is really about to happen. A team of 7 different people are sent to handle the problem and save the World! First there is Dr. Josh Keyes played by Aaron Eckhart, a geophysicist who makes the discovery, Dr. Conrad Zimsky played by Stanley Tucci who is very fun as the greedy, and irresponsible genius, "Beck" played by Hilary Swank a young gung-ho NASA pilot who may or not be ready to fail along with her superior and commander Iverson played by Bruce Greenwood. There is also Serge played by Tcheky Karyo who is a doctor and weapons specialist and there is "Braz" played by Delroy Lindo who has built the ship that will take them to the center of the Earth. Finally there is "Rat" played by DJ Qualls as the computer geek who has to hack the internet and control the flow of information. Anyway you pretty much know how the formula works...briefing of the coming catastrophe, recruiting the team, training, the awe of the initial launch, smooth sailing at the beginning, problems arise with the ship, destroy a major foreign city(in this case Rome by Electrical superstorms), kill off a couple fringe characters, experience shut-down of ship and nuclear weapons, destroy another city(in this case San Francisco...use Golden Gate Bridge as identifiable landmark), draw straws to see who gets left behind and becomes a hero, ,barely get the ship to work, outrun shock wave/explosion and make it home safely. The End. And I loved every bloody minute of this successful and winning formula. It's not a total clone of those Armageddon type films...what really got me into this is right at the beginning with 3 excellent scenes. An eerie beginning involving pacemakers, a Hitchcockian bird attack in London's Trafalgar square and an intense and very entertaining scene involving a space shuttle landing in downtown Los Angeles. The performances are decent and the script and dialogue has nice witty one liners and such. The special effects aren't spectacular yet they are believable. Hell like I know what the inside of the Earth's crust and mantle would look like! As usual with these disaster films the news gets out and world wide panic ensues, but this element is handled nicely especially with the ending of this film and the ability to release information like that! Overall, The Core is a thouroughly enjoyable sci-fi disaster film with a good premise, nice visual effects, a good cast, decent performances, some good dialogue and interesting scenes. It is in the 1950's style of sci-fi films with modern effects and Jules Verne sensibilities. It's pure cheese and a whole lot of fun and I highly recommend it.