Journey to the Center of the Earth received mostly negative reviews from critics. David Kronke, writing in the Los AngelesDaily News, called the miniseries "thoroughly cheesy" and "flaccid." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer opined that the effects work " overcome a barrage of ponderous dialogue and simply bland acting."
Plot
Theodore Lytton is an avid geologist and paleontologist who is aided by his nephew Jonas Lytton, a Harvard graduate. Theodore seeks for ways to finance his undertakings, including illegal street fighting. After one of his lectures, Theodore is approached by Alice Hastings who finances the Lyttons journey into the center of earth on a quest to find her lost husband Casper Hastings. Casper had 7 years prior gone to seek a fortune of gold rumored to exist far below the earth's surface. The Lyttons meet McNiff, a gun for hire, in New Zealand. The Lyttons, McNiff, and Alice Hastings find their way miles underneath the earth's and reach an underground sea lit by a gaseous anomaly that provides light and life to this underground world. After traveling across the sea, the travelers encounter dinosaurs, 2 human settlements, and a humanoid reptilian species, the Solaroids, that may have evolved from dinosaurs. Alice is captured by the Solaroids. The group find Casper Hastings, who years prior discovered the humans, taught them English, and then endorsed a polygamist culture inducing a split in the human settlement. Casper Hastings is known as the 'School Master' in this newer polygamist settlement, while the more established human settlement endorses monogamy. There is friction between the human settlements and also with the Solaroids. Casper, joined by the Lyttons, free Alice from a Solaroid prison cell and return to Casper's settlement. There he reveals his plan to leave for the surface, with his wife and the Lyttons. McNiff decides to remain behind with the natives. Casper also reveals a mysterious plant with nearly magical healing remedies and intends to market it on the surface. The group of travelers, now joined by Ralna, a native tribeswoman for whom Jonas develops strong feelings, begin their journey to the surface. Casper is killed by the Solaroids before reaching the sea. The 4 travelers sail across the sea and begin to head back the way they came to the surface. Ralna, sensing danger, leaves in panic and is separated from Jonas. The Lyttons and Alice reach the surface through an underground vortex that feeds water to a lake on the surface. It is discovered the magical plant dies within a few hours of being on the surface. Weeks later, Theodore and Alice are engaged to wed while Jonas, who was previously engaged, leaves his fiancée to find Ralna in the underground world.
