Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Wonderful fantasy adventure.

Intrepid professor Sir Oliver S. Lindenbrook leads an expedition towards the center of the Earth via an extinct Icelandic volcano. The journey is sure to be fraught with danger and little do they know that their trip will take in many unchartered wonders...both good and bad!

As adventure films go, Journey To The Center Of The Earth has few peers, it's a wonderful film based around the Jules Verne story of the same name. There are no hidden agendas here, no wry social commentary or satirical edginess, it is pure fantastical entertainment that wants you to enjoy its science heart whilst you have a blast following this group into the wondrous unknown. Lost cities, prehistoric lizards, underground oceans, crystal caves, sand mines, murder, sabotage, and on it...

***Into the bowels of the earth with James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl and… Gertrude, the duck***

In 1880, a professor from Edinburgh (James Mason) leads a team to follow a renowned scientist's path down an extinct volcano in Iceland to explore the bowels of the earth. Pat Boone plays the professor’s favorite student, Arlene Dahl the Swedish wife of the professor’s rival, Peter Ronson a towering Icelandic ranch hand and Thayer David the morally dubious descendent of the original pioneer.

Very loosely based on Jules Verne’s book, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959) is an amusing and imaginative family-friendly adventure flick with a superlative cast. It’s not great like “Mysterious Island” (1961) and is a little less serious, but it’s cut from the same...

James Mason is super in this adaptation of the Jules Verne story about a Scottish scientist and his rather motley team who set off in search of a long-lost Icelandic vulcanologist deep in the bowels of the Earth. I've been watching this film for thirty odd years now, and it is still a good, entertaining version of a strong fantasy story. Thayer David is good as the evil "Count Saknussemm" and there is even a duck to keep things in proportion as they combat each other and all sorts of prehistoric beasties on their journey. It's a wonderfully colourful and gently comedic treasure hunt......