The Core

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank Direction: Jon Amiel The end of the world is upon us yet again. After a virtual blitzkrieg of disaster movies such as Armageddon, Twister and Deep Impact, here's another doomsday flick which attempts to ensnare viewers with computer-generated razzle-dazzle. The screenplay of The Core is cussedly second-hand, what with an intrepid professor journeying to the centre of the earth with a group of physicists and pilots for a damage-control mission.Jules Verne, anyone? It seems the world's molten core has stopped spinning, and only our hero and his cohorts can save every earthling from imminent extinction. A disaster movie with no surprises, it showcases Aaron Eckhart (Possession) and Hilary Swank (the Oscar-winner from Boys Don't Cry.) They make the appropriate what-are-we-going-to-do-next faces. Despite the relentless display of special effects, this assembly line product, that goes on for as much as 135 minutes, leaves the viewer quite fatigued and unimpressed.