Jules Verne's novel Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has been a perennial favourite of movie-makers over the decades. The best remains the 1959 version starring James Mason. This 1978 attempt is the first feature-length movie to come from Juan Piquer Simon, a largely inept Spanish director who would go on to make us all suffer with movies like Mystery On Monster Island, Supersonic Man, Extra Terrestrial Visitors and Pieces later in his "career". It is a terrible film, crammed with poor acting, preposterous dialogue, ineffective monsters, irritating characters and pointless touches of slapstick. Verne would turn in his grave at this abysmal excuse for a film.
German Professor Otto Lindenbrock (Kenneth More) comes into possession of a book describing a route to the centre of the Earth. He persuades a Prussian soldier named Axel (Pep Munné) to accompany him on a journey of exploration into the bowels of the planet, starting from a vast volcano in Iceland. Just prior to embarking, they are joined by the Professor's niece Glauben (Ivonne Sentis) and a hardy Icelandic shepherd named Hans (Frank Braña). Their adventure takes them deeper and deeper underground, where they discover many bizarre things such as prehistoric monsters, giant mushrooms, a subterranean ocean and even a time-travelling scientist, Olsen (Jack Taylor), who has also been exploring this dark underworld.
It is rather sad to find More, a stalwart of British cinema for many decades, slumming in this cheap and cheerless Spanish quickie. Thankfully this was not his very last film – to bow out on this note would have been an even bigger shame – but it was his final leading role for the big screen. More is the only good thing about the film, giving an effortless performance which serves only to highlight how amateurish everyone else in the film really is. The whole production is presented in glum colour, with no sense of pace, character development or excitement. The first time I tried to watch it was late at night, and I had to switch off after fifteen minutes because the film was sending me to sleep. I gave it another go the next day in the middle of the afternoon when I was fresh and wide awake and it nearly had me snoozing again! Even when the monsters appear, they prove so derisive that any chance of excitement soon vanishes in the ensuing unintentional hilarity. Maybe one for lovers of bad movies, but everyone else should steer clear!
German Professor Otto Lindenbrock (Kenneth More) comes into possession of a book describing a route to the centre of the Earth. He persuades a Prussian soldier named Axel (Pep Munné) to accompany him on a journey of exploration into the bowels of the planet, starting from a vast volcano in Iceland. Just prior to embarking, they are joined by the Professor's niece Glauben (Ivonne Sentis) and a hardy Icelandic shepherd named Hans (Frank Braña). Their adventure takes them deeper and deeper underground, where they discover many bizarre things such as prehistoric monsters, giant mushrooms, a subterranean ocean and even a time-travelling scientist, Olsen (Jack Taylor), who has also been exploring this dark underworld.
It is rather sad to find More, a stalwart of British cinema for many decades, slumming in this cheap and cheerless Spanish quickie. Thankfully this was not his very last film – to bow out on this note would have been an even bigger shame – but it was his final leading role for the big screen. More is the only good thing about the film, giving an effortless performance which serves only to highlight how amateurish everyone else in the film really is. The whole production is presented in glum colour, with no sense of pace, character development or excitement. The first time I tried to watch it was late at night, and I had to switch off after fifteen minutes because the film was sending me to sleep. I gave it another go the next day in the middle of the afternoon when I was fresh and wide awake and it nearly had me snoozing again! Even when the monsters appear, they prove so derisive that any chance of excitement soon vanishes in the ensuing unintentional hilarity. Maybe one for lovers of bad movies, but everyone else should steer clear!