"Journey to the Center of the Earth" opened to fairly bad reviews last week and indifferent box-office, but it's just about perfect entertainment for younger kids. Especially kids who've never seen a 3-D movie.

With the major studios pulling strings to get PG-13 ratings for films that veer into R-rated territory (i.e., "Hancock"), it's nice to see something made specifically with younger moviegoers in mind.

"Journey" is the latest offering from Walden Media, a company dedicated to the idea of promoting books and reading through film.

The movie is set in 2008, but continually references the classic Jules Verne novel, nudging the viewer who hasn't read the book to check it out later. Walden has done excellent versions of contemporary children's books, too, including "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Holes."

Earlier this summer, the company presented (with Walt Disney as a partner) the second C.S. Lewis-derived "Chronicles of Narnia" movie, which inexplicably proved to be a major box-office disappointment.

With multiplexes being offered two or three new PG-13 titles each week, it's tough for softer PG films to get much traction. And, many of the "helicopter" parents hovering over their children these days would rather find a PG-13 movie that interests them than bite the bullet and sit through a truly child-friendly PG with their small fry.

"Journey" has a bit of a theme park thrill-ride feel thanks to the vastly improved 3-D technology.

When I was a kid in the 1960s,

Advertisement
the format had been pretty much out of style for a decade, but when it came back in the 1970s and '80s, the crude effects made the movies tough on the eyes. (I can still remember the splitting headache that a 3-D "Frankenstein" gave me in the mid-1970s.)

"Journey" would be a wonderful introduction to this amusing you-are-there format for any pre-teen moviegoers in your household.

For this review and others, go to Joe Meyers' podcast at www.connpost.com/entertainment.