Another generic Sci-Fi Channel and yet another variation on Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH. This one's closer to THE CORE, but the intent is still the same; the Earth is heating up and spewing lava, so a team of scientists hop into the 'Mole' and ride down the same lava tunnels to sort it out. To fill up running time, there's some conspiracy sub-plotting, a bad guy or two, and a traditional romance.
There's also little to distinguish this from a dozen others. The opening is more fun than the latter stuff, because we're treated to a handful of disaster staples, from lava shooting up out of the ground to buildings being demolished in an earthquake. Once the action shifts below ground level, however, things get worse; the movie becomes a repetitive chore to sit through, cutting between cheesy graphics and the even cheesier acting inside the craft.
Human roles are taken by ex-pin up Luke Perry, looking old and tired, and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Michael Dorn as an officious government type. Nobody else seems to bat an eyelid, and I was bored of this long before the end. Unfortunately for me, a local TV channel is having an "end of the world" week, so there are at least three more of these to sit through...
There's also little to distinguish this from a dozen others. The opening is more fun than the latter stuff, because we're treated to a handful of disaster staples, from lava shooting up out of the ground to buildings being demolished in an earthquake. Once the action shifts below ground level, however, things get worse; the movie becomes a repetitive chore to sit through, cutting between cheesy graphics and the even cheesier acting inside the craft.
Human roles are taken by ex-pin up Luke Perry, looking old and tired, and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Michael Dorn as an officious government type. Nobody else seems to bat an eyelid, and I was bored of this long before the end. Unfortunately for me, a local TV channel is having an "end of the world" week, so there are at least three more of these to sit through...