At the Earth's Core (1976) starring Doug McClure, Peter Cushing, Caroline Munro, Cy Grant, Godfrey James, Sean Lynch directed by Kevin Connor Movie Review

At the Earth's Core (1976)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Doug McClure and Peter Cushing in At the Earth's Core (1976)

Cheese Core

Are you in the mood for some tosh, a bad movie from the past which will make you laugh for being corny? If you answered yes then rent or buy "At the Earth's Core" and sit back for 90 minutes of corny sci-fi adventure with over acting, dodgy effects and a storyline which doesn't demand your attention. It is the only way I can recommend "At the Earth's Core" as taken seriously it is a poor movie which whilst based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs seems more like a movie which rips off earlier sci-fi/adventure movies set in the Victorian age.

With the financial backing of American David Innes (Doug McClure - Shenandoah) scientist Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing - Sword of Sherwood Forest) has built an earth boring machine which they plan to test on a Welsh mountain. But Perry has miscalculated and his machine is much more powerful than he anticipated causing them to end up in a cavern at the centre of the earth. To their surprise they discover a race of people including the attractive Dia (Caroline Munro - The Spy Who Loved Me) who are controlled by prehistoric birds and pig faced monsters with special powers.

Caroline Munro in At the Earth's Core (1976)

Now anyone who grew up watching these types of sci-fi/adventure movies will undoubtedly find it all very familiar as it has a look and storyline which will remind you of other movies. From the wood panelled interior of the giant drill with its array of dials to what they find when the machine ends up in the cavern at the Earth's core it simply looks inspired by other movies. And how the storyline plays out is just as familiar as are duo sneak around, spot an attractive slave in sexy clothes before trying to rescue her and beat the prehistoric monsters, it is basically the usual stuff and nothing more.

But as I said if you are in the mood for corny then despite its familiarity "At the Earth's Core" might still entertain. From the over the top acting as Peter Cushing says David more times than a mother would say to a misbehaving son to the costumes of the prehistoric monsters it is bad. But it is entertaining for being bad and watched in the spirit of this being a cheese-fest or as a movie for a drinking game it becomes enjoyable.

What this all boils down to is that "At the Earth's Core" is one of those movies which isn't good when approached as a serious piece of entertainment but fun when you want something corny.


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