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{{short description|2003 film by Jon Amiel}}

'''''The Core''''' ([[2003]]) is a [[science fiction]] [[disaster movie]] very loosely based on the novel ''[[Core (novel)|Core]]'' by [[Paul Preuss]]. It's about a team who have to drill to the center of the [[Earth]] and set off a series of [[nuclear]] explosions in order to start the Earth's [[Planetary core|core]] spinning again. ''The Core'' was directed by [[Jon Amiel]], and starred [[Aaron Eckhart]], [[Delroy Lindo]], [[Hilary Swank]], and [[Stanley Tucci]].

{{About|the 2003 science fiction film||Core (disambiguation){{!}}Core}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Core

| image = The Core poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = [[Jon Amiel]]

| producer = {{Plainlist|

* [[David Foster (film producer)|David Foster]]

* Cooper Layne

* [[Sean Bailey (producer)|Sean Bailey]]

}}

| writer = {{Plainlist|

* Cooper Layne

* [[John Rogers (writer)|John Rogers]]

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

* [[Aaron Eckhart]]

* [[Hilary Swank]]

* [[Delroy Lindo]]

* [[Stanley Tucci]]

* [[DJ Qualls|D. J. Qualls]]

* [[Richard Jenkins]]

* [[Tchéky Karyo|Tcheky Karyo]]

* [[Bruce Greenwood]]

* [[Alfre Woodard]]

}}

| music = [[Christopher Young]]

| cinematography = [[John Lindley (cinematographer)|John Lindley]]

| editing = [[Terry Rawlings]]

| studio = {{Plainlist|

* David Foster Productions

* MFP Munich Film Partners}}

| distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]]

| released = {{Film date|2003|03|28}}

| runtime = 135 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $85 million<ref name="Numbers" />

| gross = $74.1 million<ref name="Numbers"/>

}}

'''''The Core''''' is a 2003 American [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[disaster film]] directed by [[Jon Amiel]] with screenplay written by Cooper Layne and [[John Rogers (writer)|John Rogers]] and starring [[Aaron Eckhart]], [[Hilary Swank]], [[Delroy Lindo]], [[Stanley Tucci]], [[DJ Qualls|D. J. Qualls]], [[Richard Jenkins]], [[Tchéky Karyo|Tcheky Karyo]], [[Bruce Greenwood]], and [[Alfre Woodard]]. The film focuses on a team of scientists whose mission is to drill to the center of the Earth and set off a series of [[nuclear weapon|nuclear explosions]] in order to restart the rotation of the [[Structure of the Earth|Earth's core]].

The film received low critical [[review]]s, primarily due to being a by-the-numbers disaster movie with a [[B-movie]] look and feel and dubious [[pseudo-science]]. Audiences responded similarly, and it did very poorly at the box-office. [[Intuitor]] writes in its review:

The film was released on March 28, 2003, by [[Paramount Pictures]]. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $74 million worldwide with a production budget of $85 million.

:''The Core is a marvel. It has everything: common physics misconceptions, blatant misrepresentations of physical laws, a complete range of stereotypes, ridiculous feats of engineering, and pure fabrication of scientific "facts". The weighty or sad parts are so inane, they made us laugh out loud. The dialog, plot, and action are predictable, if not outright tedious. Yet, the bad physics provide nonstop surprises. It's the worst physics movie we've ever viewed. It's so bad, it's almost entertaining.''

==SynopsisPlot==

<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. -->

Several small, disparate incidents involving the [[Earth's magnetic field]] cause geophysicist Dr. Joshua Keyes and scientists Dr. Serge Leveque and Dr. Conrad Zimsky to conclude that the [[Earth's outer core|Earth's molten core]] has somehow stopped rotating. Unless restarted, the field is set to collapse within months, exposing the surface to devastating [[solar radiation]].

The [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] backs a secret project to build a vessel to drill to the core and release [[nuclear weapon]]s to restart the rotation. They utilize the work of Dr. Ed "Braz" Brazzelton who has developed "[[Unobtainium]]", a material that can withstand the extreme pressure and convert intense heat into electricity, as well as a laser-based high-speed drilling array.

{{spoiler}}

[[NASA]] pilots [[Commander]] Robert Iverson and [[Major (rank)|Major]] Rebecca "Beck" Childs are enlisted to pilot the multi-compartment vessel ''Virgil'', while computer [[hacker]] Theodore Donald "Rat" Finch is brought on to keep news of both the pending disaster and their attempt to restart the core off the Internet.

Strange things are happening on [[Earth]]'s surface - everybody with a [[artificial pacemaker|pacemaker]] drops dead at once within a 10-block radius. The [[pigeon]]s in [[London]]'s [[Trafalgar Square]] lose their internal navigational ability and start smashing into [[windshield|windscreens]] and breaking panes of [[glass]].

''Virgil'' is launched through the [[Marianas Trench]] and makes its way through the [[Crust (geology)|crust]]. While traversing the [[Earth's mantle|mantle]], the team accidentally drills through a gigantic empty [[geode]] structure, damaging the lasers when it lands at its base. As they traverse outside the ship to free the vessel, the geode is flooded with magma, and Iverson is killed by a falling shard. The rest return in time as ''Virgil'' continues its descent.

The world soon realises the cause of these anomalies: Earth's core has stopped rotating. Within a year, the Earth will lose its [[electromagnetic]] shield and will be fried by [[solar radiation]].

Further down, as ''Virgil'' passes through a field of enormous [[diamond]] formations, one of them breaches the last compartment housing the detonation timers for the [[Nuclear bombs|nuclear charges]]. Leveque sacrifices himself to ensure the others have the charges and launch codes before the compartment is crushed.

A team of "terranauts" is recruited to drill down to Earth's core and set off a series of nuclear explosions hopefully to restart the core's rotation. To aid their $15 billion journey, they use a newly-developed "sonic [[laser]]" that can cut through [[rock (geology)|rock]] and an indestructible [[metal]] called "[[Unobtainium]]".

The team reaches the molten core and realizes that it is much ''less'' dense than previously believed, throwing off their calculations on restarting its motions. Communicating with the surface, overseer of the operation Lieutenant General Thomas Purcell, orders them to abandon the effort and return immediately as they plan to use a secondary protocol to restart the core. Finch is secretly communicating with the ''Virgil'' team and learns that this secondary protocol is the top-secret project DESTINI (Deep Earth Seismic Trigger INItiative).

While they are underground, the world is struck by more disasters. Huge [[microwaves]] from the sun break through the atmosphere, melting the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] and frying [[San Francisco]]. Gigantic [[lightning]] bolts tear up the streets of [[Rome]] and blast the [[Colosseum]] to smitherines.

Keyes discovers that Zimsky was a lead scientist on DESTINI, a U.S. [[tectonic weapon]] that, when first tested, accidentally stopped the core's rotation. Finch redirects power from DESTINI to prevent Purcell from reactivating it, as Keyes fears that could destroy the Earth instead of restarting the core. Meanwhile, destructive events, including a [[thunderstorm|lightning storm]] in [[Rome]] and a burst of [[ultraviolet]] rays that destroys the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], alert the world to the situation despite Finch's best efforts to keep the bad news from becoming public knowledge.

The base of the drilling experiments is in the [[Utah]] desert. The government also has a secret facility in [[Alaska]] with which they can start [[earthquake|earthquakes]] anywhere on the planet.

On ''Virgil'', the remaining team plans to place a bomb in each of the remaining compartments, jettison them, and time their detonations in an exact sequence to trigger the core's rotation through constructive [[wave interference]], where the force of each blast will push against the next. However, the override mechanism to permit detachment of each compartment is located externally and Brazzelton dies in sacrificing himself to engage it.

==Trivia==

* While the movie may have been based on junk science, the reference to the secret government facility in Alaska is real. Project D.E.S.T.I.N.I. is a parody of the [[High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program]], or HAARP, that some believe uses the Earth's magnectic field to manipulate [[weather]] and [[earthquakes]], broadcast [[signals]], and even [[mind control|control minds]].

As they set the charges, Keyes and Zimsky realize that they need more explosive power than previously thought and in their race to adjust timings, Zimsky becomes trapped in a detached compartment. Keyes uses ''Virgil''{{'}}s nuclear power source to provide the additional energy for the final detonation. While it leaves the main compartment powerless and Keyes and Childs trapped, the other explosions successfully restart the core's rotation.

==Goofs==

* Among all the birds in London slamming into things is a fish that smashes a window.

* The magma would have filled the giant [[geode]] in much less time because of the extreme pressures that are present at that depth.

Keyes recalls that the unobtainium shell can convert heat and pressure to energy, and the two of them wire the shell directly to their systems in time to power the craft and ride the pressure wave out of the core and towards the surface through [[tectonic plates]], eventually breaching into the ocean floor near [[Hawaii]]. Due to the cold water, ''Virgil'' no longer has power to establish communications. The government searches for them, and Finch, tracking nearby [[whale sound]], realizes that the ''Virgil'' crew are using low-power [[ultrasound]] to draw whales nearby. Keyes and Childs are soon rescued.

==See Also==

* [[List of movies that have been considered among the worst ever#C|List of movies that have been considered the worst ever]]

In the aftermath, Finch uploads information about ''Virgil'' and its team and the classified information about DESTINI across the Internet, causing the world to revere the crew as heroes.

==Cast==

* [[Aaron Eckhart]] as Dr. Joshua "Josh" Keyes, a professor of geophysics at the [[University of Chicago]] who designs the navigation system for ''Virgil'' and is assigned as head of the project.

* [[Hilary Swank]] as [[Major (United States)|Major]] Rebecca "Beck" Childs, [[United States Air Force|USAF]], an astronaut who distinguished herself during an emergency crash landing of the [[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'']] in [[Los Angeles]], California, a result of the magnetic instability.

* [[Delroy Lindo]] as Dr. Edward "Braz" Brazzelton, the designer of ''Virgil'' and the ultrasonic lasers.

* [[Stanley Tucci]] as Dr. Conrad Zimsky, Earth specialist and designer of Project DESTINI, based in Alaska.

* [[Tchéky Karyo|Tcheky Karyo]] as Dr. Serge Leveque, nuclear weapons specialist, and colleague and friend of Dr. Keyes.

* [[Bruce Greenwood]] as [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] Robert "Bob" Iverson, [[United States Navy|USN]], Major Childs' commander and mentor.

* [[DJ Qualls|D. J. Qualls]] as Theodore Donald "Rat" Finch, a computer hacker who is widely regarded as the best in the world, crippled the FBI's database, recruited to control the flow of information on the Internet to prevent public panic.

* [[Alfre Woodard]] as Dr. Talma "Stick" Stickley, the mission controller for [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'']] and ''Virgil''.

* [[Richard Jenkins]] as [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] Thomas Purcell, [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], leader of the operation.

* [[Fred Ewanuick]] as ''Endeavour'' Flight Engineer Jenkins

==Production==

''The Core'' began development in the late 1990s under producer [[David Foster (film producer)|David Foster]] for [[Paramount Pictures]] and was one of several ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'' inspired projects in development at the time along with ''Inner Earth'' at [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] and a straight adaptation of the novel at [[Walt Disney Pictures]].<ref name="TheCoreProd">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/par-digs-hyams-for-the-core-1117757525/|title= Par digs Hyams for 'The Core' |publisher=Variety|access-date=June 12, 2023}}</ref> Initially [[Peter Hyams]] had been announced to be in final negotiations to direct.<ref name= "TheCoreProd"/> In September 2001, it was announced [[Jon Amiel]] had signed on to direct.<ref name="TheCoreDir">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/amiel-drives-to-core-1117853060/|title= Amiel drives to 'Core' |publisher=Variety|access-date=June 12, 2023}}</ref> That same month, it was announced [[Aaron Eckhart]] had signed on to star in the film with co-star [[Hilary Swank]] joining the following month in October.<ref name="TheCoreAE">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/eckhart-heads-to-earth-s-core-1117853359/|title= Eckhart heads to Earth's 'Core' |publisher=Variety|access-date=June 12, 2023}}</ref><ref name="TheCoreHS">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/swank-centers-on-core-1117854660/|title= Swank centers on 'Core' |publisher=Variety|access-date=June 12, 2023}}</ref>

''The Core'' had out-to-sea scenes, starring {{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72}}, with full support of the [[United States Navy|US Navy]].

The original plan for the shuttle landing scene had been for ''Endeavour'' to attempt a landing at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] with the shuttle coming to a halt on the nearby beaches. However, due to the events of [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], the crew was not allowed to film at LAX. The scene was therefore rewritten with ''Endeavour'' landing in the L.A. River.

==Reception==

''The Core'' garnered mixed reviews from critics. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|39|5.3|160|A B-movie with its tongue planted firmly in cheek, ''The Core'' is so unintentionally (intentionally?) bad that it's a hoot.|ref=yes|access-date=2024-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224035430/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/core|archive-date=2024-02-24}} On [[Metacritic]], another aggregation website, the film has a [[weighted average]] score of 48 out of 100 based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Core (2003)|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-core|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504044258/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-core|archive-date=May 4, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In his review, [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film two and a half stars out of four and said "I have such an unreasonable affection for this movie, indeed, that it is only by slapping myself alongside the head and drinking black coffee that I can restrain myself from recommending it."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-core-2003|title=The Core movie review & film summary (2003)|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=March 28, 2003|access-date=October 16, 2020|first=Roger|last=Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309053631/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-core-2003|archive-date=March 9, 2022|url-status=live|via=[[RogerEbert.com]]}}</ref>

The film grossed $31.1 million in United States theaters, and another $43.0 million overseas for a total worldwide gross of $74.1 million<ref name="Numbers"/> against a production budget of $85 million.<ref name="Numbers">{{Cite web |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Core-The#tab=summary |title=The Numbers.com |access-date=November 1, 2015 |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910113013/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Core-The#tab=summary |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several reviews cited the numerous scientific inaccuracies in the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/4722-physicist-explains-the-non-science-of-the-core|title=When Sci-Fi Goes Wrong: Physicist Explains the Non-Science of The Core|last=Tracey|first=Janey|website=www.outerplaces.com|access-date=February 27, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112012530/https://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/4722-physicist-explains-the-non-science-of-the-core|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sciencefiction.com/2012/02/13/did-the-movie-the-core-get-anything-right/|title=Did The Movie 'The Core' Get Anything Right?|date=February 13, 2012|website=ScienceFiction.com|access-date=February 27, 2020|archive-date=February 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227153727/https://sciencefiction.com/2012/02/13/did-the-movie-the-core-get-anything-right/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.headstuff.org/entertainment/film/the-core-at-15/|title=Bad Science {{!}} The Core at 15|date=March 28, 2018|website=HeadStuff|language=en-GB|access-date=February 27, 2020|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308025954/https://www.headstuff.org/entertainment/film/the-core-at-15/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said: "The brazen silliness of ''The Core'' is becalming and inauthentic, like taking a bath in nondairy coffee creamer. The Earth core's inability to turn is mirrored in the cast's inability to give the picture any spin."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/28/movies/film-review-trying-to-jump-start-the-earth-s-heart.html|title=Movie Review - 'The Core' - Trying to Jump-Start the Earth's Heart|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 28, 2003|access-date=May 6, 2022| first=Elvis|last=Mitchell|author-link=Elvis Mitchell|url-access=limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506232024/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/28/movies/film-review-trying-to-jump-start-the-earth-s-heart.html|archive-date=May 6, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' was a little more forgiving, saying: "If ''The Core'' finally has to be classified as a mess, it is an enjoyable one if you're in a throwback mood. After all, a film that comes up with a rare metal called [[unobtainium]] can't be dismissed out of hand."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-28-et-turan28-story.html|title=At its center, 'The Core' is a fun ride|last=Turan|first=Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Turan|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 28, 2003|access-date=November 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203015954/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/28/entertainment/et-turan28|archive-date=December 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In response to criticism of his screenplay's lack of scientific realism, screenwriter John Rogers responded that he tried to make the science accurate, but expended three years fighting "to get rid of the ... dinosaurs, magma-walks in 'space-suits', bullshit-sci-crap sources for the Earth's crisis, and a windshield for the ship ''Virgil''."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/14288|title=The Screenwriter Of THE CORE Responds!!|website=[[Ain't It Cool News]]|date=January 4, 2003|access-date=May 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927054102/http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/14288|archive-date=September 27, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 30, 2009, it was reported that [[Dustin Hoffman]] was leading a campaign to get more real science into science-fiction movies. Hoffman is on the advisory board of the [[Science & Entertainment Exchange]], an initiative of the [[United States National Academy of Sciences]], intended to foster collaborations between scientists and entertainment industry professionals in order to minimize inaccurate representations of science and technology such as those found in ''The Core''.<ref name="reality"/>

In a poll of hundreds of scientists about bad science fiction films, ''The Core'' was voted the worst.<ref name="reality">{{cite news | url=http://www.news.com.au/news/actor-dustin-hoffman-lobbies-for-more-reality-in-science-fiction-movies/story-fna7dq6e-1225697804105 |title='Actor Dustin Hoffman lobbies for more reality in science-fiction movies' |publisher=News.com.au |date= March 30, 2009 |access-date=September 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629020608/http://www.news.com.au/news/actor-dustin-hoffman-lobbies-for-more-reality-in-science-fiction-movies/story-fna7dq6e-1225697804105|archive-date=June 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 21, 2010, ''[[The Guardian]]'' ran an article about American professor [[Sidney Perkowitz]]'s proposals to curb bad science in science fiction movies. In the article, Perkowitz is said to have hated ''The Core''. "If you violate [the coherent rules of science] you are in trouble. The chances are that the public will pick it up and that is what matters to Hollywood. ''The Core'' did not make money because people understood the science was so out to lunch".<ref>{{cite news|first=Ian|last=Sample|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/feb/21/hollywood-films-obey-laws-science|title=Drive to make Hollywood obey the laws of science |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=February 21, 2010|access-date=March 2, 2010|___location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609211459/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/feb/21/hollywood-films-obey-laws-science|archive-date=June 9, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

* ''[[Crack in the World]]'', 1965 film with a similar plot

* ''[[Deep Core (film)|Deep Core]]'', 2000 film with a similar plot

* ''[[Polar Storm]]'', 2009 film with a similar plot

* ''[[Geostorm]]'', 2017 film with a similar plot

* [[List of disaster films]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* {{imdbIMDb title|id=0298814|title=The Core}}

* {{Mojo title|thecore}}

* [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:267270 Review from allmovie.com]

* {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_core}}

* [http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/core/ Critics' reviews of ''The Core'']

* [http://www.intuitorbadastronomy.com/moviephysicsbad/coremovies/thecore_review.html AReview reviewof The physics of ''The Core''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s] physicsat [[Bad Astronomy]]

* [http://www.badastronomyintuitor.com/badmoviephysics/movies/thecore_reviewcore.html Another reviewReview of the movie's'The physicsCore''], byat [[Philiphttp://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/ Plait]Intuitor.com]

{{Jon Amiel}}

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