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The Core

  • 20032003
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
99K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,641
473
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Aaron Eckhart, Stanley Tucci, Delroy Lindo, Hilary Swank, Bruce Greenwood, and DJ Qualls in The Core (2003)
Home Video Trailer from Paramount Home Entertainment
Play trailer2:35
1 Video
79 Photos
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Sci-Fi

The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again.The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again.The only way to save Earth from catastrophe is to drill down to the core and set it spinning again.

IMDb RATING
5.5/10
99K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,641
473
  • Director
    • Jon Amiel
  • Writers
    • Cooper Layne
    • John Rogers
  • Stars
    • Aaron Eckhart
    • Hilary Swank
    • Delroy Lindo
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jon Amiel
  • Writers
    • Cooper Layne
    • John Rogers
  • Stars
    • Aaron Eckhart
    • Hilary Swank
    • Delroy Lindo
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 595User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 48Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Core
    Trailer 2:35
    The Core

    Photos79

    Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank in The Core (2003)
    (Beginning lower left and clockwise) Hilary Swank as Beck, Aaron Eckhart as Josh, Delroy Lindo as Brazzleton, Stanley Tucci as Zimsky, Bruce Greenwood as Richard, and Tchely Karyo as Serge.
    (Left center) Aaron Eckhart as Josh and (center) Stanley Tucci as Zimsky
    (Left to right) Hilary Swank, Bruce Greenwood, and Alfre Woodard
    Hilary Swank in The Core (2003)
    Aaron Eckhart and DJ Qualls in The Core (2003)
    Alfre Woodard in The Core (2003)
    Hilary Swank and Bruce Greenwood in The Core (2003)
    Aaron Eckhart and Stanley Tucci in The Core (2003)
    Aaron Eckhart in The Core (2003)
    Hilary Swank in The Core (2003)
    Delroy Lindo in The Core (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Aaron Eckhart
    Aaron Eckhart
    • Joshas Josh
    Hilary Swank
    Hilary Swank
    • Beckas Beck
    Delroy Lindo
    Delroy Lindo
    • Brazzeltonas Brazzelton
    Bruce Greenwood
    Bruce Greenwood
    • Commander Richard Iversonas Commander Richard Iverson
    Christopher Shyer
    Christopher Shyer
    • Dave Perryas Dave Perry
    Ray Galletti
    Ray Galletti
    • Paulas Paul
    Eileen Pedde
    Eileen Pedde
    • Lynneas Lynne
    Rekha Sharma
    Rekha Sharma
    • Dannias Danni
    • (as Rékha Sharma)
    Tom Scholte
    • Ackeras Acker
    Glenn Morshower
    Glenn Morshower
    • FBI Agentas FBI Agent
    Anthony Harrison
    Anthony Harrison
    • FBI Agentas FBI Agent
    Tchéky Karyo
    Tchéky Karyo
    • Sergeas Serge
    • (as Tcheky Karyo)
    Richard Jenkins
    Richard Jenkins
    • General Purcellas General Purcell
    Bart Anderson
    • Dadas Dad
    Nicole Leroux
    Nicole Leroux
    • Momas Mom
    Justin Callan
    • Little Boyas Little Boy
    Chris Humphreys
    Chris Humphreys
    • GBTV Reporter - Trafalgar Squareas GBTV Reporter - Trafalgar Square
    Dion Johnstone
    Dion Johnstone
    • Flight Engineer Timminsas Flight Engineer Timmins
    • Director
      • Jon Amiel
    • Writers
      • Cooper Layne
      • John Rogers
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The Earth's core has stopped spinning. Disasters are happening around the globe, including; animals acting in bizarre ways, monstrous thunderstorms. Dr. Josh Keyes and his crew of 5 go down to the centre to set off a nuclear device, hoping to make the core start spinning again, or humanity will cease. —Inhotenjoys
    • natural disaster
    • terranaut
    • earth
    • core
    • scientist
    • 150 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Earth has a deadline
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Adventure
      • Sci-Fi
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for sci-fi life/death situations and brief strong language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      (at around 9 mins) Near the end of the "birds" scene, a trout is seen smashing into a window instead of a pigeon. This was a joke left in by the team that did the CG pigeons.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 30 mins) During the bridge scene the microwave energy can melt through several feet of galvanized carbon steel wire (main cable) and the bridge beams themselves but not through less than 2mm of metal on the car's body shell.
    • Quotes

      Col. Robert Iverson: Being a leader isn't about ability. It's about responsibility.

      Maj. Rebecca Childs: Got it, sir.

      Col. Robert Iverson: No you don't, Beck. I mean, you're not just responsible for the good ones. You've got to be responsible for the bad ones. You've got to be ready to make the shitty call.

      Maj. Rebecca Childs: What makes you think I'm not?

      Col. Robert Iverson: Because you're so damn good. You haven't hit anything you couldn't beat. I mean, hell, you were the one who figured out how to save the space shuttle. You made me, you made the rest of NASA just look like an ass. It's just you're used to winning... and you're not really a leader until you've lost.

    • Crazy credits
      At the beginning when the Paramount pictures logo is shown there is a transition between the Paramount pictures logo and the film - the camera zooms in on the mountain then starts to move down through the mountain to the core of the earth.
    • Connections
      Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #29.14 (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Weren't You the One
      by Roger Kellaway & K. Lawrence Dunham

      Performed by Sherry Williams

      Courtesy of WilliamSound West

    User reviews595

    Review
    Top review
    A middling, mildy entertaining diversion.
    ** out of ****

    The Core is the "low-budget" answer to Armageddon, meaning it was made on less than half the cost but desires to be its equal in delivering thrills and big buckets of popcorn fun. Now, whether or not you liked Armageddon is a good determinant of whether or not you should even bother watching The Core in the first place. I myself haven't seen that Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer production in a while, and memory serves that it was an unbelievably preposterous, but enjoyable thrill ride that had a great sense of humor. How does The Core compare?

    Well, if I hadn't seen Armageddon, I might have liked this film more, which is not to say that it's a weaker movie, just that the disaster formula plays out in much the same way so there's a sense of deja vu hanging over the proceedings. There are a lot of people out there who hated Armageddon, perhaps for its absurd science or for its quick-cut action sequences, so for those who didn't like the latter, The Core would be more up their alley, though the science here is even sillier.

    The premise is the anti-Deep Impact/Armageddon. A group of expert individuals have to go to the center of the Earth to jumpstart the core, which has stopped spinning for some unknown reason. Heading this mission is professor Josh Keys (Aaron Eckhart), who's leading a six-man team, with a woman playing a key role, of course, as the pilot, played by Hilary Swank. Recognizable faces Delroy Lindo, Tcheky Karyo, Stanely Tucci, and Bruce Greenwood round out the rest of this very expendable team.

    Already, we realize the plot is fundamentally impossible. The only people who wouldn't recognize this are those still in grade school, so they'll probably get a kick out of the movie while thinking they're getting some kind of education out of this because of all the scientific mumbo-jumbo and technobabble. More discriminatory viewers will scoff at all the sudden new inventions that aid our intrepid group of heroes, particularly the hull Delroy Lindo devises that's actually strengthened by heat. For me, scientific flaws are acceptable so long as it's not so blatantly obvious, but this movie's stretching my suspension of disbelief.

    But those who don't care for any scientific inaccuracies will wonder, is the action any good? The answer's a mixed bag. Almost all the action is entirely CGI-related, so the question of whether or not you find it exciting to see an "earthcraft" (named Virgil) get banged around quite a few times is crucial to your enjoyment. The action aboveground is all given away in the trailers, and none of it's particularly exciting, thanks to the weak special effects. The space shuttle crash, the destruction of the Roman Colosseum and the Golden Gate bridge are not examples of CGI-work at its best, to put it kindly. A 60 million dollar budget isn't quite enough to pull a movie of this sort off, and it sometimes shows.

    Surprisingly enough, the scenes set below ground do somewhat make up for the slack. A crisis is introduced every five to ten minutes to keep the characters working, so what we get is a briskly paced and often enjoyable second half. The effects work is still spotty, but I found the characters relatively engaging, the situations fairly compelling, and the Mcgyverish-solutions amusing. Still marring this outing on a consistent basis, however, are the film's predictability, the occasionally really bad dialogue, the lack of solid intentional humor, and the stilted finale. The Core is not an unenjoyable timewaster, but it's not exactly a great night at the movies, either.
    helpful•97
    44
    • Li-1
    • Apr 18, 2003

    FAQ7

    • What is 'The Core' about?
    • Is 'The Core' based on a book?
    • Is it really possible to go to the core with a subterranean ship?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 28, 2003 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • Italy
      • Germany
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Core
    • Filming locations
      • Trafalgar Square, St James's, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • David Foster Productions
      • Munich Film Partners New Century & Company (MFP) Core Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $60,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $31,186,896
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,053,131
      • Mar 30, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $73,498,611
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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