Brendan Fraser is back and as watch-able as ever. He's headed off on another action-adventure in the first feature-length, eye-popping, cutting edge 3-D movie. Journey… was styled from script to screen as a 3-D viewing experience from start to finish. To underscore this concept, the paper and cellophane 3-D versions enjoyed an upgrade as well, resembling black sunglasses suitable for Clark Kent. As can be expected, the viewing is sufficiently compelling to forgive a lot-a thin story line, a three person cast and silly indulgences of stabbing at you with tape measures, trilobite antennae and adding a whole new slant on bathroom humor.

Fraser is the actor to tap for green-screen action, DIY stunts and shucks, ma'am delivery. He just does a good job of bringing you with him on this newest Journey To The Center Of The Earth, a remake with the story angle showcasing 'Vernians', or avid Jules Verne aficionados. To put Verne's famous book into the hands of this story's characters certainly counts as a clever twist.

Professor Trevor Anderson is Fraser's newest assignment. If you aren't visualizing him as a serious archaeologist that spent most of his time in the lab, no worries-within moments after the credits finish, the lab is taken away from him. So, Indiana Jones style, he is forced into the field which, of course, is exactly where we want him to go.

Fraser is master of the fine art of appearing dumber than we are and yet still alive after action that would leave the rest of us dead, certainly dismembered, or at the very least not doing his smirk-y Fraser smile. Ah, no, it's not just acting. We watch Fraser's characters because they seem so engaged. And they are, carefully choreographed, bouncing through the action. He does most of his stunts and has healed ribs and other miscellany old wounds to show for it.

For Journey to the Center of the Earth, Fraser is Trevor is Fraser. He makes Trevor fun, as Trevor is certainly not credible. Trevor is continuing his brother's work, collecting data that explores real world geological events relevant to Jules Verne's notion of an exotic, plant and animal colonized world deep inside the planet. Trevor is a research scientist with a smarmy colleague who lusts after his lab space and has succeeded in bouncing our soon-to-be hero right out of his lab and straight into the scientific cadre of the unemployed.

Trevor is in a bewildered state of loose ends when matters get worse-his sister-in-law delivers his nephew for a pre-arranged 10-day visit that he has forgotten and his nephew would like to forget. Young Josh Hutcherson does a fine job portraying the teen-age sidekick, Sean Anderson, on an enviably wild journey to Italy by way of Iceland.

Failed attempts at male bonding don't impede a clever device of dialogue to get them on their way to Iceland, which is certainly not where Sean's mother would have him. Boring Uncle Trevor is home and Sean is forced to interact with him. Sean is going through the minutiae of their lab, finding his father's things in with Trevor's work. These could be touching moments, as his father, Max Anderson (Jean Michel Paré) is still missing-some eight years missing. Trevor is explaining to Sean about all the data he is still collecting on their dream of finding the …Center Of The Earth.

During a very urgent scene, the two conclude all indicators point to following Trevor's brother, Sean's father to Iceland. They seek an Institute and a scientist Max had mentioned in his notes. Well, after all, Sean is staying with his uncle for ten days-where's the harm in a little trip? (The location shots of Iceland are fabulous.)

In Iceland they find, not the scientist, but Hannah Asgeirsson, the daughter of the scientist. She is aware of 'Vernians', or people interested in all things Jules Verne, telling them of  Max's and her father's interest in finding a way back to Verne's …Center Of The Earth. She is not a believer.

?sgeirsson must play this daughter, raised in the remote reaches of Iceland, as a crusty, cynical and masterful guide, who "always carries enough rope". She hadn't bought into her father's fantasies, still doesn't, isn't interested in taking them anywhere, and finally only agrees to take them to   Max's marker, for an impressive chunk of change, per day, mind you. Of course, she's gorgeous, and young enough for Sean to set his hat for her. Hollywood.

Obviously, they all go to Max's marker, and stuff happens, one thing and another-they fall, safely, to the …Center of the Earth. Once there, the first living things they encounter are bioluminescent birds-little, bitty, firefly-style birds, flitting about. For some inexplicable reason, one of the birds takes a 'shine' to young Sean. This is a surprising story device, given that we find ourselves amid huge stands of long-extinct plants on the land at the edge of a vast sea, bathed in a reddish light vaguely explained as bioluminescence on a grand scale. This inner land, realistic enough, is lusciously rendered. Dinosaur-style reptiles, fish and sea mammals ramp up the 3-D eye-candy to a stylishly scintillating climax.

Encounters with horrific, toothy fishes preyed upon by giant sea mammal monsters set your teeth on edge. The T-Rex you were promised in the trailer makes its appearance and will inspire a sense of dread for even the most die-hard cynic. This film brings a thought vividly to my mind-the first full length, 3-D dedicated horror film that comes to the screen in this fashion will literally make people jump out of their skin. Because Journey To The Center Of The Earth is family fare, the filmmakers settle for making you jump and jerk a lot. Mark my words, though, a 3-D horror flick is gotta be in production somewhere…

Screened at RAVE, Town Square, who handed out 3-D glasses you can save for next time. We again stopped in at Yogurtland, a frozen yogurt store with a twist-they charge by the ounce, as much or as little as you want. They installed a long wall of a dozen or so self-serve, soft-serve machines with several flavors each. Sometimes twenty flavors await for your decision of what to put under your choice of thirty some odd toppings, including everything chocolate-y, as well as coconut, cookie dough, sprinkles, nuts and mounds of fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and more. For a delightful and inexpensive bowl of frozen yogurt and some fresh fruit-definitely stop in to 'top off' your outing.