The Core

"More palatable than most pictures of its ilk due to its keen awareness of its own preposterousness..."

"If The Core finally has to be classified as a mess, it is an enjoyable one if you're in a throwback mood. After all, a film that comes up with a rare metal called Unobtainium can't be dismissed out of hand."

"I have such an unreasonable affection for this movie, indeed, that it is only by slapping myself alongside the head and drinking black coffee that I can restrain myself from recommending it."

"The Core is such a feat of go-for-broke heroism and you-gotta-be -kiddin'-me ridiculousness that it almost qualifies as a feel-good diversion -- with just a quarter of the runaway jingoism of your average disaster extravaganza."

"Scientists may shudder, but at least some good actors are getting work."

"The Core works because the characters are idiosyncratic enough to seem authentic but not so zany that they seem contrived."

"Jules Verne this isn't, but it makes for fairly diverting escapist fare."

"It's a popcorn movie with brains."

"Is this the most bonkers blockbuster disaster movie of all-time?"

"Unblushingly tacky and derivative."

"The similarities between this doomsday adventure and Michael Bay's overblown Armageddon are too numerous to ignore; the crucial difference is that this one is actually pretty good."

"The only truly interesting aspect found in The Core is Jon Amiel's thoughts as to what the inner parts of Earth might look like."