A Major Disappointment

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Despite its name, the movie has a very low sci-fi feel to it. I felt I was watching something more akin to a western travel adventure than anything else. Outside of that, it was pretty innocent and mild - like a low-budget family movie. Nothing great here.Basically, this is a story about a wealthy lady who enlists the help of an anthropologist to help find her missing husband. He was on a quest to find a passage into the earth - but hasn't been heard from in 4 years. With the help of two other men, they try to retrace her husband's path.Although there is no suspense, thrill or anything like that, the movie has a pleasant tone to it that almost makes it an "OK" way to pass 2 hours. However, unless you're looking for something to watch while you fall asleep, pass on this.

I Loved the original version in 1959 with James Mason and, since movie making has had 50 years to improve, I guess that I was expecting So Very Much More. Phew! This movie was a terrible let down. Maybe if I would have seen it on the big screen I could have given it a 3....maybe. Unfortunately, I had to watch it on TV with a commercial every 10 minutes. There is No Doubt in my mind that I would have turned it off after the 1st 10 minutes except for the fact that I was editing out the commercials for a friend of mine so that she could watch it when she got home.I'd say that if you Love soap opera's and you are addicted to the 'Lifetime' channel, than give it a spin. However, if you are more in tune to good movie making(story, plot, acting, etc), than avoid this nonsense like the plague.

You never know what to expect from a title like this one.I found the movie to be entertaining and acting very good.Ricky Schroder does an admirable job with a script that needed some more development. I liked seeing him as an action hero and explorer. The special effects were quite well done. A family movie that the whole gang can enjoy. Peter Fonda is fun as an explorer who becomes a "God" within the earth. The story has nice plot points and satisfies its intended audience. The supporting cast does an all around good job. Scenery was beautiful and production values quite high. I think the wardrobe was quite well conceived and the props looked good as well. I give it a strong 7.

I cannot help feeling that this was originally a remake of The Lost World which someone changed at the last minute. The plot is much closer to The Lost World and the early scenes look more like night time above ground action than underground. Take away the narration and the plot could easily be one where the characters emerge from a mine into a lost valley rather than a subterranean world.Certainly this has nothing in common with the Jules Verne novel other than the title and the idea that everything takes place underground.With a weak, nonsense-ridden plot( having just discovered an unexplored, underground lake would you immediately send all the men away and go bath in it ? ), poor screenplay, wooden acting, cheap effects( a series of stills to signify travel along an underground river ? - college students can do better ) this is definitely a modern B movie.