The space shuttle crash lands in downtown L.A., the pigeons of London’s Piccadilly Circus kamikaze through plate glass windows, Rome’s Colosseum gets blown apart by rampant lightning, and then the special effects boffins really get cracking in The Core. When time permits, there’s also the story of a group of misfits racing to save the planet from destruction.

When the Earth’s centre inexplicably starts misbehaving, so too does the electromagnetic field that prevents all surface life from being microwaved by the sun’s nasty radiation. Fearing the worst, the authorities race to pick the brains of the world’s best and brightest in an attempt to avoid humankind’s crispy fate.

Dishevelled college professor and geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) is the first chosen to fathom the puzzle. Then, when it’s discovered that a journey to the centre of the Earth is required, a few more scientists and the obligatory astronauts are quickly assembled.

Together, the motley crew build an amazing contraption and set out (or in) on a high-risk mission to jumpstart the planet with a handful of nukes. Perils galore await and the only thing certain is two hours of visual whizbangery courtesy of the Skittles-fuelled techs with the big computers.

Very little is required from The Core’s acting talent, other than to sit still and let the film’s thrills and spills do their thing. Aaron Eckhart (Erin Brockovich) and Hilary Swank (Insomnia), as the film’s leads and romantic pairing, do just that.

In a notable side-role, as ‘Rat’ the grandmaster of all hackers, is D.J. Quall (The New Guy). The peculiar looking former Calvin Klein model fits the part perfectly, and provides some much needed comic respite from the roaring lava action. It seems that Steve Buscemi (the heir to Don Knotts) has some serious competition.

The Core marks a radical departure from director Jon Amiel’s regular fare. Best known for his work on such thrillers as Entrapment (1999) and Copycat (1995), the English filmmaker has obviously decided to try his hand at the mega-budget blockbuster. The results are sometimes mixed, but ultimately successful.

While the first half of the film is tight and realistic (even with the bizarre pigeon incident), the last hour jumps off Amiel’s leash and becomes almost the sole domain of Gregory McMurry, the visual effects supervisor. McMurry grabs the controls and turns on a frenzied showcase of diamonds the size of city blocks and more lava than a 60s’ love-in. While the effects are stunning, everything else, including plot feasibility, suffers under their dominance.

However, to Amiel’s credit, The Core avoids two of the cringe-inspiring faux pas associated with near-cousins Independence Day and Armageddon. Both painfully fabricated scenes of patriotism and implausible Kofi Annan ‘nations of the world unite’ moments are refreshingly absent. It’s a winning move, and much appreciated.

The Core well and truly accomplishes what it’s been designed to do. It’s a light and flashy action-adventure delivered with the latest and greatest special effects. Heroes and nonsense all the way! Devoted Thespians may want to give it a miss, but everyone else should get their money’s worth out of Amiel’s and McMurry’s work.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older