Entertainment
One of the Most Bonkers Studio Sci-Fi Movies of the 2000s Hits Streaming Next Month
Every so often, Hollywood hands viewers a science-fiction movie so committed to its own nonsense that resisting it becomes kind of impossible. The Core is one of those movies. It does not just flirt with absurdity. It digs a tunnel straight through the Earth and drives right into it at full speed. That is exactly why it still has fans.
That gloriously over-the-top 2003 disaster movie is heading to Paramount+ on April 1, joining the streamer’s April lineup alongside a long list of catalogue additions. For anyone with an affection for big-studio sci-fi that takes itself deadly seriously while doing completely insane things, it is an excellent pickup.
Directed by Jon Amiel, the film follows a team of scientists and specialists sent on an impossible mission after the Earth’s core mysteriously stops rotating. If they cannot fix it, the planet is doomed. That setup is obviously ridiculous, but The Core sells it with a great cast, a straight face, and a pace that never really slows down long enough for you to protest. Sometimes that is all a movie like this needs.
The cast includes Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Josh Keyes, Hilary Swank as Major Rebecca Childs, Delroy Lindo as Dr. Ed “Braz” Brazzelton, Stanley Tucci as Dr. Conrad Zimsky, Tchéky Karyo as Serge Leveque, Bruce Greenwood as Commander Iverson, and Alfre Woodard as Talma Stickley.
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Is ‘The Core’ Worth Watching?
Roger Ebert‘s review stated that The Core is absolutely ridiculous, and weirdly enough, that’s a big part of its appeal. The film’s premise — that the Earth’s core has stopped spinning and humanity has less than a year before solar radiation wipes everyone out — is pure old-school sci-fi nonsense, and the movie leans into it with total sincerity. That includes some truly wild dialogue, over-the-top science, and a plot that feels like it was pulled straight from a vintage B-movie.
“The Core” is not exactly good, but it knows what a movie is. It has energy and daring and isn’t afraid to make fun of itself, and it thinks big, as when the Golden Gate Bridge collapses and a scientist tersely reports, “The West Coast is out.” If you are at the video store late on Saturday night and they don’t have “Anaconda,” this will do.
The Core arrives on Paramount+ on April 1.
- Release Date
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March 28, 2003
- Runtime
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135 minutes
- Director
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Jon Amiel
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