The book that started the media phenomenon. The movie is a
lot more action packed than the book, but the general idea of the story remains
the same. John Hammond has cloned dinosaurs and wants a group of
paleontologists to sign off on his park. Hammond is a lot more of a corrupt
business man in the book than he is in the movie. Also Malcolm is not Jeff
Goldblum. But still the book is good except when Crichton tries a little too
hard to convince you of his science.
In the official first movie in the Transformers franchise,
teenage Sam Witwicky finds an old Camero in a used car lot. That old car
happens to be Bumblebee, one of the best Transformers ever after Optimus Prime.
Bumblebee pulls Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela into a strange world of aliens
and a fight against the evil Decepticons led by Megatron. This movie is fun,
has a decent plot and gives me exactly what I wanted from this story: having
giant robots in an epic fight for survival.
An original series Star Trek book, this book really lets
Uhura and the rest of the bridge crew shine. The premise is as follows: a
deadly plague is sweeping through the Federation. The only chance at a cure is
a “forbidden” song shared between Uhura and an Eeiuonan, a sentient catlike
species, years ago. The Enterprise is sent on a quest to find the origin of the
song and perhaps where the Eeiounans came from originally. A really fun tale
featuring all our favorite characters doing what they do best, saving the
universe from threats.
Coming out five years before men actually landed on the
moon, this classic tale based off HG Wells’ 1901 work is a true masterpiece.
The plot is as follows: in 1964 men reach the moon and realize that someone
from England has claimed the moon in the name of Queen Victoria. They find
Arnold Bedford who had travelled to the moon 65 years earlier who proceeds to
tell the scientists about his trip to the moon with his fiancé Katherine
Callender and their eccentric neighbor, Joseph Carver. He tells them that they
met an insect like race there as well. The special effects were done by Ray
Harryhausen and is some of his best work.
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
This is one of the best Verne novels, maybe because Verne
had to make up everything so we didn’t get bogged down in the details of
fish…Anyway, the story progresses as follows: German scientist Lindenbrock
discovers a manuscript of a 16th century explorer and he and his
nephew Axel take off to Iceland with native guide Hans Bjelke to explore and go
to the Center of the Earth. They find dinosaurs and all matter of things before
reaching the service again. It was first published in 1864.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
The main characters are moved from Germany to Scotland for
this version of the tale, mainly because this was only ten years after WWII.
Alec finds a plum bob that he gives to his mentor Professor Lindenbrook. They
along with Hans and Carla Gutenberg, the widow of a deceased colleague, descend into the center of the Earth. There
they meet the descendent of the 16th century explorer who is
convinced that the center of the earth belongs to him. One of the best
characters in this version is the duck Gertrude.
Willy Fog: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1994)
The second in the Spanish Willy Fog TV series, the first
being a version of Around the World in 80 Days. In this version Willy Fog (an
anthropomorphic lion based on Phileas Fogg) makes a bet with Sullivan that he
can find the center of the earth. It is a fun version of the story.
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Journey to the Center of the Earth (1999)
In this version, avid geologist and paleontologist Theodore
Lytton is approached by Alice Hastings who wants his help in finding her
husband, Casper Hastings who disappeared on a journey to the Center of the
Earth seven years prior. I wasn’t overly fond of the ending where the nephew
Jonas, returns the Center of the Earth to be with a native woman.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
In this made for TV movie, Jonathan Brock and heiress Martha
journey to Alaska to find her husband who disappeared years earlier when
searching for the Center of the Earth. It reminds me a lot of the 1999 movie as
far as initial set up but I like the ending better…
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
Although this came out the same year, this is the theatrical
movie starring Brendan Frasier. What I liked about this version is that it was
written as a modern day sequel to the original. Trevor and his nephew Sean go
to the Center of the Earth to find out what happened to Sean’s father and they
use the original book as a sort of guide book. A clever way to modernize it.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
The third movie in the Ice Age saga is essentially a Ice
Age/Journey to the Center of the Earth crossover. They find a cavern. They
descend. They find a warm underworld where dinosaurs still roam. Perhaps my
favorite Ice Age movie for exactly that reason.
