Okay controversial one, the first and arguably most famous of the Jules Verne adaptations of Journey to the Center of the Earth and I just hit it with a 3/10.
Let me be clear I have my reasons, but for spoiler reasons I'm limited as to just how much I can explain.
Allow me to start by saying that I've recently binge watched every adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it's sequel Mysterious Island (Also Jules Verne works) and I remembered the books fondly. For this reason I was able to easily recognize what was loyal and was was nonsense thrown in by the films creators. Sadly I don't remember the original novel for Journey to the Center of the Earth quite as well but I'm pretty sure this has a fair bit of the aforementioned nonsense.
Now if you can get past that and get past the absurdity of the entire plot you'll actually find a remarkably impressive film for 1959. It looks incredible for its time, the audio is top notch and I can entirely understand the appeal. This is an early "Blockbuster" and very impressive stuff as take your brain out viewing.
So why the low rating? Well again it really is absurd, the plot is quite frankly ridiculous and makes some of the later efforts look positively realistic by comparison. It's not that it's pseudo science, it's a distinct lack of science altogether.
But there is one single scene that hit the film hard and took it down from a notable 6/10 to the 3/10 you see before you. Again I don't do spoilers but I'll simply say that a character addition not in the novel was welcome relief but that characters fate was senseless, needless and ruined the whole experience for me.
If that scene doesn't bother you like it bothered me you'll likely find yourself enjoying this ground breaking classic.
The Good:
Looks and sounds excellent for its time
The Bad:
Some logistical absurdities
"That" scene
Let me be clear I have my reasons, but for spoiler reasons I'm limited as to just how much I can explain.
Allow me to start by saying that I've recently binge watched every adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and it's sequel Mysterious Island (Also Jules Verne works) and I remembered the books fondly. For this reason I was able to easily recognize what was loyal and was was nonsense thrown in by the films creators. Sadly I don't remember the original novel for Journey to the Center of the Earth quite as well but I'm pretty sure this has a fair bit of the aforementioned nonsense.
Now if you can get past that and get past the absurdity of the entire plot you'll actually find a remarkably impressive film for 1959. It looks incredible for its time, the audio is top notch and I can entirely understand the appeal. This is an early "Blockbuster" and very impressive stuff as take your brain out viewing.
So why the low rating? Well again it really is absurd, the plot is quite frankly ridiculous and makes some of the later efforts look positively realistic by comparison. It's not that it's pseudo science, it's a distinct lack of science altogether.
But there is one single scene that hit the film hard and took it down from a notable 6/10 to the 3/10 you see before you. Again I don't do spoilers but I'll simply say that a character addition not in the novel was welcome relief but that characters fate was senseless, needless and ruined the whole experience for me.
If that scene doesn't bother you like it bothered me you'll likely find yourself enjoying this ground breaking classic.
The Good:
Looks and sounds excellent for its time
The Bad:
Some logistical absurdities
"That" scene