The Core on DVD
There are two kinds of disaster movies: good-looking ones that are really bad,
and good-looking ones that arent so bad.
The Core falls into the latter category. It has some great special effects
and a pretty great idea, but as is common with this type of movie, it doesnt
live up to its full potential.
When people begin dying suddenly and birds start going crazy (a la Hitchcocks
The Birds), scientists discover that the Earths
core has stopped rotating. The entire planet will be destroyed within months
thanks to that and a deteriorating electromagnetic field.
In the tradition of Armageddon (only in the opposite direction and executed
much better), the American government decides to send a team down to the center
of the Earth to detonate a series of nuclear warheads that will in theory
get the core turning again.
Kind of like jumper cables for the heart of the planet!
The team includes Dr. Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart), Major Rebecca Childs (Hilary
Swank), Dr. Ed Brazzelton (Delroy Lindo), Dr. Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci),
top computer hacker Taz Finch (D.J. Qualls), Dr. Serge Leveque (Tcheky Karyo),
and Commander Robert Iverson (Bruce Greenwood). Theyre all at the top
of their various fields, but they all have their flaws as well, which always
comes in handy in a drama. Alas, when you get them together, and give them a
chance to point out each others negative aspects, you get the weakest,
most clichéd scenes in the film.
But the best scenes come with the action. There are some very nice special
effects when Rome and San Francisco are destroyed, and also when Virgil (the
burrowing ship) encounters its various obstacles on its way to the core.
The Core looks good, but it suffers from the same problems as so many disaster
movies, which are most commonly the ludicrousness of some situations that prevent
our suspension of disbelief.
In this case, we cant really say what the core of the Earth would be
like, because we have no idea, so the writers can do whatever they want. But
its hard for us to believe that a so-called expert in his
field would pronounce nuclear nucular. Other than that and a couple
of events at the end (which we wont mention for fear of spoiling anything),
we were able to sit back and enjoy.
It may not be as good as disaster movies like Deep Impact or Dantes
Peak, but its certainly better than disaster movies like Armageddon,
The Swarm, and Volcano.
As one of this years guilty pleasures, The Core is worth checking out.
A theatrical flop, The Core still managed to garner a decent DVD release. Its
presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (16x9 TV compatible) and Pan&Scan
(WARNING: SOLD SEPARATELY). We got the widescreen version, fortunately, and
it features a crystal clear picture. A lot of the movie happens deep under the
Earths crust, where its dark, but details are still very visible.
Colors are rich and vibrant, though it does look a little soft in a few places.
Audio is also very good, with strong surrounds and bass. Dialogue and score
use the front channels effectively, while the rear channels fill the room with
the various action sound effects. At some points the dialogue is a bit quiet,
so you may have to turn up the volume, but make sure you turn it back down before
the action starts.
Extras include an audio commentary by director Jon Amiel, a 10-minute making-of
featurette (that is pretty much just a bunch of interviews), just over 20 minutes
of visual effects featurettes (which are informative and entertaining, but not
in-depth enough), and a series of deleted and extended scenes. A few of the
scenes are pretty good, but were understandably cut for pacing reasons.
If you enjoyed the movie, the disc is a good accompaniment.
The Core, from Paramount Home Entertainment
134 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci and Alfre
Woodard
Produced by David Foster, Cooper Layne, Sean Bailey
Written by Cooper Layne and John Rogers, Directed by Jon Amiel
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