All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle's core needs some work.

The Charge

4,000 miles to the center of the earth to a world within our world!

The Case

Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing, The Curse of Frankenstein) and his financier David (Doug McClure, The Virginian) are about to embark on a journey into the gaping maw of earth as they test run "Iron Mole,” Abner's new drilling apparatus into the side of a Welsh mountain. Their destination ends up being an underground maze miles below the earth's crust that is lorded over by enormous telepathic reptiles. Captured by the cave dwelling Mahars (inhabitants with weird pig faces), David and Abner must rally the human slaves that have been put to work inside the Mahars' caverns and attempt an escape before the center of the earth becomes the two surface dweller's final resting place!

At the Earth's Core is, of course, pure science fiction hooey wrapped in all the cheesy splendor that the 1970s could afford. The effects are generally terrible by today's standards, featuring shoddy rear projection and men in rubber suits that have all the believability of an Ed Wood movie. Dive bombing bird-like reptiles fly through the air with the greatest of pulley-assisted ease, giving the film a decidedly dime store feel that fans of Z-grade entertainment will most certainly lap up. Thrill to cavemen sporting 1970s afros! Shudder at the sight of at least three men inside a lizard suit, all trying to move in sync! Wonder at the fact that this movie was even made in the first place!

At the Earth's Core feels like it fuses together Planet of the Apes, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and The Time Machine into a jumbled mess of ideas that never gel into a coherent whole. On the plus side, the screenplay (by I, Monster's Milton Subotsky, based on the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs) wastes no time at sending the story's intrepid heroes into the earth's jungle infested core. Within only a few minutes the drilling machine makes deep inside the planet which—kind of surprisingly—looks a lot like the rain forest where the boulder chased down Indiana Jones. Other scenes feature characters running around a temple-like cave with searing lava and fire, which looks a lot like the Temple of Doom. Hmmm. Maybe this movie was more influential than I thought.

Doug McClure and Peter Cushing star as the lead travelers who find themselves in grave danger millions of miles below the earth's crust. McClure—who looks like a cross between Will Ferrell, Eddie Izzard, and George Segal—isn't the most charismatic of leads. Thankfully, there's Peter Cushing as the crazy scientist (who is referred to as "Doc") who spends most of the movie looking worried and mumbling "oh my dear!" At the Earth's Core showed up only a year before Cushing's turn as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars. Caroline Munro (The Spy Who Loved Me) plays one of the prettier cave people (whom David falls for), but her role is pretty much relegated to looking pretty and screaming whenever a creature with more than two legs shows up.

Although The the Earth's Core is often shoddy at best, it retains a fun factor, especially for those who enjoy these sorts of bizarre sci-fi cheapies that Svengoolie used to show at 2:00 AM on Friday night. Director Kevin Connor (Motel Hell) certainly keeps things moving along at a clipped pace and watching pre-historic slaves fighting telepathic mutant flying reptiles has its charms (the end features an all out bows and arrows fight amongst exploding lava beds). Cushing and McClure surprisingly commit fully to this material, which should have won both of them an Academy Award considering all the nonsense going on around them. I can't say it's a good movie, but I can say it's an entertaining one, which is better than nothing.

At the Earth's Core (Blu-ray) is presented in 1.85:1/1080p HD widescreen. This Fox catalog title (released by Kino Lorber) is in very good shape for its age and budget. While there are some defects to be found in the image (small blips of dirt or grain), overall the picture is clear and solid. Fans of the film will most certainly be happy to how good this transfer looks. The DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio track is a good reproduction of the original soundtrack experience. While it's a completely front heavy mix, the dialogue, music, and sound effects are all clearly heard and distinguishable. No alternate soundtracks or subtitles are available on this disc.

Extras include a commentary from director Kevin Connor, an interview with Connor and star Caroline Munro, a making-of featurette, and a trailer for the film.

At the Earth's Core will disappoint those anticipating exceptional special effects and tight storytelling. If you set your expectations low, you'll find this film a real hoot. Kino Lorber has offered up a passable audio and video transfer, as well as a few fine extra features for fans to chew on.

The Verdict

A good "bad" movie, best served with a six pack of Bud Light.

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