Visual-effects-man-turned-director Eric Brevig plunges us deep into the world of state-of-the-art 3-D with his modernized version of Jules Verne 's "Journey to the Center of the Earth,” a family entertainment that's as viscerally thrilling as a roller coaster ride and just about as intellectually rewarding as one, too.

But that's OK. This isn't underground art house stuff. This is underground fun house stuff you ...