Yeah, THE CORE may be too much like ARMAGEDDON, but so what. ARMAGEDDON sucked! It was a good idea poorly implemented. But if someone could do better, I have no problem reusing said idea again. And truth be told, THE CORE is pretty decent throughout with only a few rough spots. For my tastes though, too many good characters end up dying. A typical mistake really. Since the plotting is so conventional anyway, it’s no fun watching everybody you like so categorically “buy” it, especially when it’s all too clear who it will be. I want surprise, not predictability.

      The cast, for the most part, is excellent. Delroy Lindo even plays a nice guy for a change. Unfortunately, Hilary Swank looks out of place and maybe should’ve been recast. Yeah, too much of THE CORE is probably implausible or ridiculous scientifically, but nothing’s too bad. I’d still take a gander if you missed it in theaters.