they are just spelunking


it seems they are running down a very large cave within the surface of the earth, they are not going deep to the core of the planet, if so, they would only have found magma and hot metal.

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[deleted]

Ever heard of Hard science in the Movies? there is very little of Hard Fact in movies

Oh GOOD!,my dog found the chainsaw

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I find it interesting how the center of the earth was a large ocean instead of a magma pool. They walked all 5000 miles to the core barely breaking a sweat.

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Have you read the original novel? Jules Verne wrote it reflecting the science of the day, which was mostly speculation. Hollow earth 'theories' were pretty common around that time, and Verne's was one of the more rational. The film was made to be reasonably close to the book, with a few changes to liven it up and some differences in characterisation. It is basically a nineteenth century Gothic fantasy, what is often called 'steam punk'. This story concept has been filmed many times, and they all kept the interior world the same as in the novel. It's just too good to spoil with real science. People expect 'a very large cave' with an interior sea and prehistoric monsters. You either love that kind of thing or hate it. To enjoy it you really have to suspend disbelief. I'm a scientist and I never tire of it. It's fun. :)

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Absolutely.
I loved the novel when I first read it at the age of 9, and at that time I truly believed that the interior of the earth really was like that. But geology lessons at school later told me the opposite, totally spoiling the dream. Still, every time I've read the book again throughout the years I wanted to believe the fantasy again because it is such a fantastic idea, and Verne presented it in such a convincing manner, explaining the "miracle" with scientific facts that sound completely reliable and possible.
Cinema was invented as a machine of magic, to show audiences precisely the wonders that do not exist in real life. That is what Georges Melies did, and Edison and so many others. This film is in a way a beautiful homage to those one-reelers from the early days.

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This is really very good. :)

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