Cheesy good fun for the family, but seeing in 3-D is essential.

Admittedly, I wasn't expecting a whole lot going into a 3-D remake starring perennial cheese-ball Brendan Fraser. The trailers looked terrible and Warner Bros. seemed to be doing little more than dumping the release into theaters, another leftover from the New Line takeover. But to my surprise, Journey to the Center of the Earth was actually decently entertaining -- at least in 3-D. In 2-D, I can't imagine sitting through this entire movie. Especially in the opening scenes, cheap 3-D nods reminiscent of flicks from the '50s origin of 3-D cinema such as the racket and ball gag from House of Wax are thrown at the audience with abandon. A tape measurer extending out over the audience , Brendan Fraser gurgling tooth paste and spitting it at the audience, etc. If you ever manage to forget you are watching a 3-D movie, visual effects maestro-turned-director Eric Brevig is quick to throw the next site gag right into your face. Thankfully, in a kind of video game, theme park attraction way, it works. It's fun and allows you to forgive Fraser's less-than-polished acting chops; Josh Hutcherson's by-the-numbers performance as the obnoxious pre-teen with daddy issues; the throwaway role as the hot mountain guide by Anita Briem and so on and so forth. But in 2-D, I'd have to think all of that would be pretty grating by the end. Find a theater showing the 3-D version, grab the family and throw on your Real D glasses and you should have a fun, albeit forgettable time at the movies.

ReelzChannel Rating: