"Go ahead and puke, that'll scare 'em even more."
-- Joe Briggs (as played by Tim Russ)
-- Joe Briggs (as played by Tim Russ)
I used to share a running joke with a few fellow Science Fiction enthusiasts on a SciFi message board of old. One day, someone showed up in the forum moaning about there not being enough adaptations of any of the works of legendary author Jules Verne, and I piped up: "If you haven't seen one lately, then just wait around ten to fifteen years, and you'll get another one!"
Yes, yes, yes. It would seem that -- every fifteen years or so -- some production studio decides to brush off one of the Verne classics and give it another go, either on the big screen or small. While this naturally excites the denizens of SciFi and Fantasy fans, there are those of us it saddens just as much. Why? Well, because most likely we're going to be treated to another watered down incarnation that, structurally, really looks very little like the inspiration its based on. Though I haven't seen this 1993 telefilm -- titled Journey To The Center Of The Earth -- I've read enough to know that it's mostly known for pillaging Vernes' central idea (and the title, of course) but then going off in another direction entirely.
That's Hollywood for ya!
Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"Taking the title from the novel by Jules Verne, this story takes his basic premise of the desire to travel to the center of the Earth. The travelers, using their craft, penetrate an active volcano and encounter a strange world filled with many creatures and an evil force controlling it all."
Directed by William Dear (he previously delivered Timerider: The Adventure Of Lyle Swann to theaters in 1982), the adaptation was crafted by Robert Gunter and David Mickey Evans. The project starred David Dundara, Farrah Forke, Kim Miyori, John Neville, and Jeffrey Nordling.
Yes, yes, yes. It would seem that -- every fifteen years or so -- some production studio decides to brush off one of the Verne classics and give it another go, either on the big screen or small. While this naturally excites the denizens of SciFi and Fantasy fans, there are those of us it saddens just as much. Why? Well, because most likely we're going to be treated to another watered down incarnation that, structurally, really looks very little like the inspiration its based on. Though I haven't seen this 1993 telefilm -- titled Journey To The Center Of The Earth -- I've read enough to know that it's mostly known for pillaging Vernes' central idea (and the title, of course) but then going off in another direction entirely.
That's Hollywood for ya!
Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"Taking the title from the novel by Jules Verne, this story takes his basic premise of the desire to travel to the center of the Earth. The travelers, using their craft, penetrate an active volcano and encounter a strange world filled with many creatures and an evil force controlling it all."
Directed by William Dear (he previously delivered Timerider: The Adventure Of Lyle Swann to theaters in 1982), the adaptation was crafted by Robert Gunter and David Mickey Evans. The project starred David Dundara, Farrah Forke, Kim Miyori, John Neville, and Jeffrey Nordling.
Other than snippets of information here and there, I haven't read a wealth online about the project. I have seen places wherein writers have stated this telefilm was intending to launch a series, but all that IMDB.com reports on that topic is that an ongoing serial never materialized. Who knows? Something set in a regular subterrranean environment might've been fairly expensive for any of the major networks in the early-to-mid 1990's, so it's not all that surprising that this one never quite blasted off ... well, other than in this telefilm format.
Interestingly enough, there is a copy of the flick available for purchase on Amazon.com. It appears to be an DVD-R-style print -- meaning most likely that whoever controls the original rights maintains it digitally and produces legal copies with each order. I've always had difficulty getting those to play on traditional DVD players, so I'm inclined to wait until this one shows up as available for streaming to give it a whirl. Why not? It definitely had an interesting cast -- some real talent in there -- and it might be worth a trip underground, though reviews suggest one shouldn't expect too much.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
Interestingly enough, there is a copy of the flick available for purchase on Amazon.com. It appears to be an DVD-R-style print -- meaning most likely that whoever controls the original rights maintains it digitally and produces legal copies with each order. I've always had difficulty getting those to play on traditional DVD players, so I'm inclined to wait until this one shows up as available for streaming to give it a whirl. Why not? It definitely had an interesting cast -- some real talent in there -- and it might be worth a trip underground, though reviews suggest one shouldn't expect too much.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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