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The Core

Play trailer 2:11 Poster for The Core PG-13 2003 2h 16m Action Sci-Fi Adventure Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
39% Tomatometer 157 Reviews 34% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes discovers that an unknown force has caused the Earth's inner core to stop rotating. With the planet's magnetic field rapidly deteriorating, our atmosphere literally starts to come apart at the seams with catastrophic consequences. To resolve the crisis, Keyes, along with a team of the world's most gifted scientists, travel into the Earth's core. Their mission: detonate a device that will reactivate the core.
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The Core

The Core

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Critics Consensus

A B-movie with its tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Core is so unintentionally (intentionally?) bad that it's a hoot.

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Critics Reviews

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Matthew Rozsa Salon.com 02/05/2023
1.5/4
Although the acting is top notch, the rest of "The Core" is too cliché and bloated to be enjoyable... the bigger problem with "The Core" is that the information that it presents to audiences as legitimate science is, quite simply, bunk. Go to Full Review
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
2/5
This is a big, dumb, explosion movie. Go to Full Review
Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com 06/19/2003
2/4
Sadly, that's not the case. Cooper Lane and Jon Rogers' script is paint-by-numbers at best and Amiel directs as if his attention is firmly rooted somewhere else, like on his next project. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 05/05/2023
3/5
The Core may be among the worst disaster thrillers as far as realism is concerned but the the film's cast keeps it entertaining. Go to Full Review
Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies 03/17/2023
2.5/4
Bombastic and ridiculous, this bonkers action movie is a lot of fun as a throwback to science-versus-nature thrillers of the past. Go to Full Review
James Croot The Post NZ 06/09/2022
2.5/5
Is this the most bonkers blockbuster disaster movie of all-time? Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Richard L @KaneLives 2d While it certainly isn't a masterpiece, The Core is a thoroughly enjoyable disaster film filled with unlimited techno-babble, Hollywood science, and 90s 'hacking'. Yes, some of the effects look like a Red Alert cutscene, and the characterization is weak across the board, but it conveys a sense of scale and adventure that makes its honestly slightly long runtime breeze by in an instant. See more thiago S @Thiagostone Apr 26 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more ICUR M @icurmtheaded Apr 10 Time for this crusty old guy to mismantle this movie to the core. At the core, good acting, especially by Dr. Unobtainium MacGuffin. Too bad that the director got credit for his sabbatical during filming. He should have been forced to at least join the circle ray beam TBM crew on its maiden voyage. Special deffects ranged from cheesy to passable (barely). Can't be sure, yet I believe some early TV ST clips and sets were snuck in, here and there. See more Representative Beau Mattew L @Yooper906 Jan 15 One of my favorite movies of all time! See more Elliott M @RT04434978 Oct 31 0 stars! This movie was hot buns, they should have ejected Beck into the core, she squad wiped the entire cast making the movie unwatchable. Zimsky was a bum. They had a discord mod giving them comms. The cgi was better in 1273BCE. This made my WWII grandpa traumatized. Watching paint dry would have been better than this. This made me want to get a job. If I had the option between going to Afghanistan and watching this a second time, I would go to Afghanistan in a heartbeat. Originally my fantasy football league punishment was a buzz cut, now I think we might change it to watching this movie. See more Cameron M @RT12545317 Sep 29 Ahead of it’s time. See more Read all reviews
The Core

My Rating

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The Core

The Core: Official Clip - The Golden Gate Bridge Melts The Core: Official Clip - The Golden Gate Bridge Melts 1:35 The Core: Official Clip - Empty Space The Core: Official Clip - Empty Space 2:12 The Core: Official Clip - The Earth Will Be Cooked The Core: Official Clip - The Earth Will Be Cooked 2:08 The Core: Official Clip - The Birds The Core: Official Clip - The Birds 1:57 The Core: Official Clip - Crystal Grand Canyon The Core: Official Clip - Crystal Grand Canyon 1:48 The Core: Official Clip - Unobtainium The Core: Official Clip - Unobtainium 1:44 The Core: Official Clip - Rome Destroyed The Core: Official Clip - Rome Destroyed 1:32 The Core: Official Clip - Drilling In The Core: Official Clip - Drilling In 2:11 The Core: Official Clip - Braz Burns Alive The Core: Official Clip - Braz Burns Alive 2:02 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes discovers that an unknown force has caused the Earth's inner core to stop rotating. With the planet's magnetic field rapidly deteriorating, our atmosphere literally starts to come apart at the seams with catastrophic consequences. To resolve the crisis, Keyes, along with a team of the world's most gifted scientists, travel into the Earth's core. Their mission: detonate a device that will reactivate the core.
Director
Jon Amiel
Producer
David Foster, Sean Bailey, Cooper Layne
Screenwriter
Cooper Layne, John Rogers
Distributor
United International Pictures, Paramount Pictures, GAGA Communications [jp], Humax Pictures Inc., 01 Distribuzione
Production Co
David Foster Productions, Horsepower Films, Paramount Pictures, Core Prods. Inc., StudioCanal, RAI Cinema
Rating
PG-13 (Sci-Fi Life/Death Situations|Brief Strong Language)
Genre
Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 28, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$31.1M
Runtime
2h 16m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)