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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan

    A two-hour pleasure cruise. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It's a straight-ahead adventure with the usual number of thrills, but with the added virtue of being smarter and more sober than one might expect. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    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. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    More palatable than most pictures of its ilk due to its keen awareness of its own preposterousness, a self-knowledge exuberantly expressed by a mostly live-wire cast. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The Core -- with its by-the-numbers plot and performances -- isn't offensive, just unblushingly tacky and derivative. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    In dashing Indiana Jones style, Eckhart gets to be a hero. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    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. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's a schlockier ''Armageddon'' crossed with ''Fantastic Voyage,'' minus the fun. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Rita Kempley

    This sloppily made, poky, extra cheesy adventure is virtually a remake of "Armageddon." Read full review

  • 10
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The cast of The Core deserve Oscar nominations just for being able to speak most of the lines without succumbing to the chortles. Read full review


Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ This is a big, dumb, explosion movie.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie has sustained and intense peril. There's widespread destruction, and many characters are killed. There's some strong language, including the obligatory single use of "f--k" permitted in PG-13 movies. There are female and African-American characters who are exceptionally talented but who have had to face obstacles to their professional advancement. Diverse characters work together well.
  • Families can talk about whether they think that future generations will have the technology to access the Earth's core.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Many characters killed. Intense peril.
  • sex false0 Sex: None.
  • language false3 Language: Some strong language.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking and smoking.

The Core Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

Must Go! 1 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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