hen college professor and geophysicist Josh Keyes (Eckhart) is summoned by the government to explain the instant and simultaneous deaths of 32 people with pacemakers in downtown Boston, he begins to suspect that the event may be a symptom of a serious global problem. As other strange phenomena start manifesting—a flock of pigeons goes berserk in Trafalgar Square, the space shuttle falls off course and nearly crashes—Dr. Keyes puts the pieces together, and it's not a pleasant picture for the inhabitants of Earth.
Keyes shows his findings to an arrogant but well-connected scientist, Dr. Conrad Zimsky (Tucci), who brings the danger to the attention of the government and the military. In a briefing, they explain that the Earth's liquid core has stopped spinning, and that this movement is what generates the electromagnetic field. Without the field, navigational equipment will fail, static electricity will cause devastating storms, and solar radiation will cook the planet to a crisp.
The only way to save the Earth is to travel to its center and restart the core. Fortunately, a former colleague of Zimsky's, Dr. Edward Brazzelton (Lindo), has invented a way to blast through solid objects as well as a substance called "unobtanium," which is immune to the blasts. The military gives him three months and $50 billion to build a ship that can accomplish the world-saving mission.
Two astronauts—Maj. Rebecca Childs (Swank) and Cmdr. Robert Iverson (Bruce Greenwood)—are recruited to lead the mission as the first "terranauts." Together with a team of scientists, they will have to pilot the ship into the unexplored depths of the Earth and detonate a nuclear device in the hope that it will restore the planet to its natural state. What they don't realize, however, is that the cause of the problem may be anything but natural.
A daring and down-to-earth adventure
With expectations for this film significantly lowered by a delayed release, negative buzz and a woefully uninspiring marketing campaign—including a trailer that had to be re-edited due to a real-life space shuttle tragedy—it's fair to say that audiences may be pleasantly surprised to find themselves genuinely entertained by The Core. Just as long as said audience members are willing to leave their skepticism at the door of the theater.
While the science in the film is not as obviously fabricated as in previous disaster/science-fiction hybrids—Armageddon being the most obvious example—director Jon Amiel does require the audience to take a lot on faith for the purposes of storytelling. Taking for granted the theoretical aspects of geophysics, the idea that a ship could not only burrow through solid rock, but withstand the enormous pressure and heat of such depths, and be constructed in a period of three months, is admittedly stretching the limits of willing disbelief.
Questionable science aside, it's heartening to see smart characters speaking intelligent dialogue, as these heroes do. Like true scientists, they use accessible metaphors to explain difficult concepts without talking down to the audience. And it doesn't hurt that neither the filmmakers nor the characters (with the exception of Tucci's deliciously buffoonish Zimsky) seem to take themselves too seriously. The cast is rife with talented actors, especially the underrated Eckhart, who proves himself a more capable action star than some at twice his salary. Swank, too, takes on the challenge with an eagerness that is evident in her performance.
In the end, The Core has no delusions of being anything other than what it is: a lighthearted thrill ride filled with spectacular visual effects and interesting, intelligent characters. There will always be a place for this kind of escapist fare, but these days it's a particularly appealing proposition.
