It feels more like a journey to the center of Kennywood than of the Earth, but the new Jules Verne "family adventure" film -- the first live-action feature shot in digital "RealD" 3-D -- is serviceable summer fare for the undemanding.

In this third or fourth filmed remake of the 1864 classic book, Brendan Fraser plays impetuous professor Trevor Anderson, specializing in plate tectonics, which sounds like the study of German dentures but is in fact a branch of geology. He and his brother, Max -- also a scientist -- shared some radical theories that tarnished their reputations, but the bro disappeared years ago on a field expedition to Iceland.

When the bro's 13-year-old sullen son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson), shows up for a visit, they set out to discover what happened to Max -- armed with Max's heavily annotated copy of "Journey to the Center of the Earth." Hardy Hannah (Anita Briem), their foxy Icelandic mountain guide, also turns out to be a "Vernian" -- someone who believes Jules' writings were factual rather than science-fictitious.

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'Journey to the Center of the Earth'

2 1/2 stars = Average
Ratings explained

• Starring: Brendan Fraser, Anita Briem.
• Rating: PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments.
• Web site: 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'

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Suffice to say, the trio finds a cave leading to a volcanic passageway down to a fantastic lost world in the bowels of the planet. At one point, they're freefalling so long that they have time to make conversation on the way down. Once there, they discover an underground world of lush jungles, carnivorous Venus fly-traps, giant flying piranha fish and cute little blue phosphorescent birds that act a lot like Tinkerbell -- plus monsters.

From then on, they're like Dorothy and her friends: Once they find the proper mix of brains, heart and courage, the trick is to find their way home.

Equally tricky, for first-time director Eric Brevig, is finding the right combination of fantasy and realism. Brevig is a visual F/X veteran who won an Oscar for "Total Recall." He gives us a terrific roller-coaster ride in a mineshaft (as good as the Jack Rabbit), an exciting raft-at-sea sequence and a fine demonstration of magnetic rock-jumping by young Hutcherson.

On the other hand, he gives us the cheesiest monsters. Jurassic Park was evidently closed for the season; the long-in-the-teeth dinosaurs in "Journey" come straight from Rent-a-Rex.

Clearly, the big bucks in this budget didn't go for critter creation. Nor for big-name actor salaries. The three-person cast is not what you'd call megastar in nature. Fraser (from "Crash" and the "Mummy" franchise) is a kind of poor man's Harrison Ford -- with a poor man's pale wisecracks. He's no James Mason (in the 1959 version) but slightly better than Treat Williams (in the 1999 TV version). Fresh-faced Hutcherson ("Bridge to Terabithia") is natural and likable enough. Nordic blonde Briem ("The Tudors") does all the requisite spunky things.

No, my friends, the money here went to shooting in hi-def 3-D with a state-of-the-art Fusion System, in which lightweight, portable, dual ultra-high-resolution 3-D videocams are mounted side by side to simulate the viewer's left and right eyes. The result is greater depth, more fore- and rear-ground focus and "active convergence" that improves the focal points and makes them easier to watch.

All sorts of nifty things (even the credits) move out from the screen toward you. I found myself trying to touch some of them, and ducking others. Most memorable: the blowing of a giant fluffy dandelion seedball so that the seeds seem to float out and fill the whole theater.

Too bad there's no credible story, character development or other signs of a good movie behind all the movement. Good for kids, though. Squeaky clean. I suggest dropping them off and waiting for them in the car while re-reading the novel.

"RealD" 3-D projection is available only in certain theaters.