The Core (2003)

Alright, here we go again. After a brief hiatus, we’re being served yet another disaster flick wrapped in flashy special effects.

Hillary Swank takes the lead here.

Personally, I think the whole concept is nonsense. But since it hits theaters this week, we still have a tiny window to attempt the impossible: predicting the next predictable mess from Hollywood, where apparently nobody possesses the talent to film anything outside of a tired formula. What are your expectations?

IMDb : Core, The

I don't usually weigh in on stuff like this, but I just caught the trailer for this flick. My god, it’s painful. Not talking about the actual movie yet—who knows if it'll be any good—but you'd think a massive machine like Hillary Swank would at least put together a decent teaser... instead, it's a total disaster on IMDb : Core. The premise feels forced, there aren't even any decent money shots, you can't tell what's actually happening, and the whole thing looks cheap... honestly, it's giving me major Armageddon remake vibes...

I watched the trailer and skimmed the synopsis online, and from what I can gather, the plot basically goes like this:
"Out of nowhere, mysterious storms start appearing, featuring lightning bolts made of pure TNT that wipe out global cultural landmarks. The only way to stop the total destruction of the Colosseum and other precious Roman-style monuments is to blast an underground train filled with freight cars straight into the center of the Earth—because apparently, that’s where the solution to climate change is hiding. The cast features a young, brilliant, yet misunderstood genius who isn't quite sure about his own theories; Hillary Swank, playing a hot, decisive cheerleader who eventually shows her softer side and hooks up with the lead at the most critical moment; at least one classic, old-school American four-star general; a handful of arrogant, cowardly, greedy, or treacherous villains who will die in ways just as disgusting as they are unlikable; and finally, a nuclear bomb, which we all know is the universal fix for any physical problem on this planet or beyond."

If you actually bother to watch the movie (since I have zero intention of wasting my money on it), let me know if I hit the nail on the head.

Perfectly put. I'll just assume you hit the nail on the head; there isn't much ground left to cover.

It’s been a long time since I sat through a movie this stupid. Honestly, if it didn't exist, we'd be better off not inventing it. 🙂

I’ve watched it. If you really lean into the concept, it isn't actually that bad. The main draw—the whole sense of originality that got me interested in watching—is how it depicts what lies at the very center of our USA. Doesn't it intrigue you to wonder what things look like just a few miles beneath the surface, let alone deep within the core itself?

For me, the movie felt more like an imaginary documentary rather than a standard film plot, mostly because nobody has actually attempted this yet: venturing into the center of the planet with any kind of scientific backing or realistic presentation. I'm not even counting Jules Verne or his various adaptations here. We’ve filmed in space and we’ve filmed under the ocean, but we haven't filmed in the center of the planet.

Of course, there are mistakes (quite a few, honestly). They seem to be aiming for depths around 4,000-3729 miles miles below the surface, maybe even deeper. If I remember correctly, the circumference around the equator is roughly 24860 miles miles. Using the math formula Circumference=2πr, that means the diameter of the USA is at most somewhere around 6,000-4040 miles miles. You could check space.com or something similar, but I can't be bothered. So, you couldn't possibly go deeper than 1865 miles, right? There are other naive elements too, obviously. By the way, using a laser to melt through rock is physically possible, just not in the extreme doses they use in the movie.

Patrick Mendoza3 said:... By the way, those rock-piercing lasers actually work in real life, just maybe not quite as crazy as they show them in movies.

... Americans can pull off anything 😁 🙄

Some parts of this movie are alright, I guess.
My only real gripe is how much it leans into pure fantasy—but then again, if they took that out, there wouldn't be much of a movie left, would there?
Physicists probably lose their minds watching stuff like this, but whatever.

I dig the concept behind this movie.
The cast? Not really my thing, but the premise is solid.
It kicks off with all that stuff about EM fields, storms, and those holes letting in solar radiation, then hits you with "Destiny."
Funny enough, according to some conspiracy theories, that "Destiny" thing actually exists, so seeing them use it as a plot point was pretty cool. 🙂

The movie was just okay. Nothing special... just another forced disaster flick, and there are plenty of those out there, though this one might sit a notch above the usual trash and serves as decent enough entertainment. Honestly, I’ll watch pretty much anything starring Hilary because, for some reason, I just find her incredibly captivating.

Sarah Wood8 said:The movie was just okay. Nothing special... just another forced disaster flick, and there are plenty of those out there, though this one might sit a notch above the usual trash and serves as decent enough entertainment. Honestly, I’ll watch pretty much anything starring Hilary because, for some reason, I just find her incredibly captivating.

Even as a massive Sci-Fi fan, I have to say this movie is total trash.

Plus, "Core" is basically a rip-off of the 2000 film "Deep Core" starring Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax from DS9) and Craig Sheffer.

Speaking of which, I was watching an episode of Eureka (3x03) yesterday that dealt with almost the exact same theme as these two movies. 😁

Frank Moore4 said:Even as a massive Sci-Fi fan, I have to say this movie is total trash.

Plus, "Core" is basically a rip-off of the 2000 film "Deep Core" starring Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax from DS9) and Craig Sheffer.

Speaking of which, I was watching an episode of Eureka (3x03) yesterday that dealt with almost the exact same theme as these two movies. 😁

I don't know about you, but I've seen way worse stuff than The Core. I mean, most of those cheap action flicks they run on FOX, or even total trash apocalypse movies like Epic Movie... compared to those, The Core isn't even in the same league of suck, no matter how bad it actually is.

Sarah Wood8 said:I don't know about you, but I've seen way worse stuff than The Core. I mean, most of those cheap action flicks they run on FOX, or even total trash apocalypse movies like Epic Movie... compared to those, The Core isn't even in the same league of suck, no matter how bad it actually is.

Nah, The Core is definitely bottom-tier trash—both generally and within the Sci-Fi genre—simply because of the massive pile of "bad science" nonsense it relies on. That's why it constantly gets dumped at the very bottom of polls, right next to "2012." But honestly, "2012" at least had top-tier production value, whereas with The Core, they actually had to fix the visual effects in post because they looked like absolute cheap crap during the test screenings.

The movies you mentioned are basically B-movies anyway, while The Core tried to present itself as an A-list production, which just makes its failure even more glaring.

Frank Moore4 said:Nah, The Core is definitely bottom-tier trash—both generally and within the Sci-Fi genre—simply because of the massive pile of "bad science" nonsense it relies on. That's why it constantly gets dumped at the very bottom of polls, right next to "2012." But honestly, "2012" at least had top-tier production value, whereas with The Core, they actually had to fix the visual effects in post because they looked like absolute cheap crap during the test screenings.

The movies you mentioned are basically B-movies anyway, while The Core tried to present itself as an A-list production, which just makes its failure even more glaring.

Whatever. To me, it's just an average movie.

Sarah Wood8 said:The movie was just okay. Nothing special... just another forced disaster flick, and there are plenty of those out there, though this one might sit a notch above the usual trash and serves as decent enough entertainment. Honestly, I’ll watch pretty much anything starring Hilary because, for some reason, I just find her incredibly captivating.

I don't think this movie even touches the disaster genre. 🤷

It’s primarily a Sci-Fi flick, and then an action movie at best.

As an action movie, it's pretty forgettable—the pacing is okay and the tension holds up well enough, and while the characters and their dynamics aren't exactly legendary, they aren't terrible either.

But as Sci-Fi? I have to agree with Martok here; it's a bit of a letdown. When you have this much unscientific nonsense and "easy way out" plot points (like that super-material that's supposedly impossible to get 🤣), it just doesn't work when you have such a high production budget. Things like that either pass as part of that specific Corman or Ed Wood "B-movie charm," or they just fail entirely. 🤷

Frank Moore4 said:Nah, The Core is definitely bottom-tier trash—both generally and within the Sci-Fi genre—simply because of the massive pile of "bad science" nonsense it relies on. That's why it constantly gets dumped at the very bottom of polls, right next to "2012." But honestly, "2012" at least had top-tier production value, whereas with The Core, they actually had to fix the visual effects in post because they looked like absolute cheap crap during the test screenings.

The movies you mentioned are basically B-movies anyway, while The Core tried to present itself as an A-list production, which just makes its failure even more glaring.

Nothing is ever good enough for you.
Personally, I think it's a fun watch. I don't stress over what's totally broken versus what actually works.
It killed the boredom for me back then, so I'm happy with it, even if I did say the movie was decent.

Dennis Sanchez84 said:Nothing is ever good enough for you.
Personally, I think it's a fun watch. I don't stress over what's totally broken versus what actually works.
It killed the boredom for me back then, so I'm happy with it, even if I did say the movie was decent.

So, if I don't like The Core, I just hate everything? That's hilarious. 🤣🙄🤣

Frank Moore4 said:Nah, The Core is definitely bottom-tier trash—both generally and within the Sci-Fi genre—simply because of the massive pile of "bad science" nonsense it relies on. That's why it constantly gets dumped at the very bottom of polls, right next to "2012." But honestly, "2012" at least had top-tier production value, whereas with The Core, they actually had to fix the visual effects in post because they looked like absolute cheap crap during the test screenings.

The movies you mentioned are basically B-movies anyway, while The Core tried to present itself as an A-list production, which just makes its failure even more glaring.

Signed!

I watched this piece of junk when it first came out... honestly, what a waste of time... 🙄 I can't recall every single detail of the plot, but I still carry that specific feeling you get while watching these types of "big budget" films: "WTF!? 🤣" and finally: "What kind of garbage movie is this?"
I'm not some hardcore Sci-Fi fanatic, but I have enough common sense not to believe a single second of this film, and I'd much rather just forget what it was even about 🤔 (aside from them drilling into the center of the USA...)

🙏 🙏 🙏

Frank Moore4 said:So, if I don't like The Core, I just hate everything? That's hilarious. 🤣🙄🤣

Honestly, watching some of the threads here and over on the TV subforum, it’s pretty obvious you’re just a hater. Like, does anything actually pass your test? It feels like you've always got some complaint ready to go.
Go ahead and laugh if it makes you feel better. ☕