Movie · 1959 · Adventure, Fantasy, Family · 2h 12m · G · English
Curator score: 7.5/10 (21.7K ratings)
A fabulous world below the world
Overview
An Edinburgh professor and assorted colleagues follow an explorer's trail down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the earth's center.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.5/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Henry Levin
Production
Cooga Mooga, Joseph M. Schenck Enterprises, 20th Century Fox
Cast
James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Pat Boone, Peter Ronson, Thayer David, Diane Baker, Alan Napier, Ben Wright, Alex Finlayson, Edith Evanson, Ivan Triesault, Robert Adler, Peter Wight, Alan Caillou, Kendrick Huxham, Owen McGiveney, Molly Glessing
Where to watch
History Vault
Curator Review
Verdict
A charming, old-school adventure with impressive sets, a strong sense of wonder, and enough pulpy spectacle to outweigh its dated pacing and gender politics. It’s best enjoyed as a nostalgic Jules Verne ride rather than a tightly plotted modern fantasy.
Best for
classic adventure fans
Jules Verne adaptations
practical-effects enthusiasts
family-friendly retro sci-fi viewers
viewers who enjoy big studio spectacle
Skip if
you want fast pacing
you’re sensitive to dated sexism
you prefer modern visual effects
you need a deep or surprising story
Overview
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a sturdy example of late-1950s studio adventure: lavish, earnest, and built around the pleasure of discovery. Once the expedition goes underground, the film settles into a pleasing rhythm of peril, strange environments, and handcrafted spectacle that still has real charm.
Worth noting
Its biggest strengths are the production design and the sense of scale. The underground world feels imaginative even when the story is simple, and the effects have a tactile quality that gives the film personality. The cast helps, too, especially James Mason, who brings authority to the material even when the script leans into stiff, old-fashioned attitudes.
Bottom line
The movie is not subtle, and the first stretch can feel slow. Some viewers will also be put off by the era’s sexism and the occasionally goofy creature work. But if you like classic adventure cinema, this is a warm, durable piece of escapism that still breathes life into Verne’s premise.
Top Letterboxd reviews
wersku (3.5★) · 221 likes
Gertrude the duck is the real star of this adventure.
A late ‘50s adventure that still holds up surprisingly well today. I expected something a bit clunky, but instead, it dazzles with its own charm, diving boldly into the depths of the Earth. There’s a nostalgic warmth and heartfelt reverence for classic storytelling here, imperfections and all, making it better than i was expecting.
The allure of the unknown, the unpredictability of nature, and a group of characters from different… more
Deckk (3★) · 115 likes
100-word review: Two hours plus simply is too long for a film that's mostly people caving towards an underwhelming destination (especially given the imposing titular promise). But it's charming. By using live iguanas (with glued-on make-up appliances added to their backs) and a painted lizard (hopefully the animal cruelty was minimised) as the monster denizens of the deep, their movements are smoother and more natural than sci-fi contemporaries using stop-motion effects; it looks pretty okay when blended into the fore- or background. Cheesy and ridiculous as it is, Journey to the Center of the Earth breathes Jules Verne.
19oldboy91 (3.5★) · 85 likes
English Version below🟠🟢🔵
Vor dem Rewatch ist nach dem Rewatch?
Gerade der Mann mit dem doppelten und dreifachen n hinter dem Man(n) muss sich eingestehen, wie knapp „Die Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Erde“ vorbeischrammt, nicht unangenehm wie der gerade eben verspeiste Leberkäse aufzustoßen, denn besage Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Erde strotzt nur von der Bevormundung der Frau was, so ehrlich darf man auch sein, zum Charme der 59er Produktion beiträgt wie es die grandiosen Kulissenbauten und die Effekte sowieso machen.… more
Travis Lytle (5★) · 80 likes
Directed by Henry Levin, 1959's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" is a grand, old science fiction film from a grand, old era of filmmaking. Based on Jules Verne's classic tale, the film is a dusty but sweeping adventure that paints family-friendly pulp on a large-scale canvas.
Starring James Mason as professor who leads a small band of followers under the Earth's surface, the narrative bears all the hallmark's of Verne's now-retro speculative fiction epics. There is peril, nostalgically… more
19oldboy91 (4★) · 80 likes
English Version below
Schnatter, Schantter, Schnatter. Ja, ja, ja. Schnipp schnapp schwuppdiwupp und des Regenwurms Kopf ist ab.
Hallo zusammen, ich bin die Ente Gêrtrût, Gêrtrût von den Gêrtrûden eine von vielen Enten Gêrtrûts die meinen wie Mutters Namen tragen. Enten wie meine Brüder Gêrt und meine Schwestern Gêrtrûde wie unsere Cousine und Cousinen Gêrtrût und Gêrt. Die sooo einige Abenteuer erlebt haben, ja, ja, ja. Hoch über den Wolken erlebten sie sie wie ganz tief unter dem Meer bei… more