Science FictionAdventureThriller

The Core

- The only way out is in.

Geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes discovers that an unknown force has caused the earth's inner core to stop rotating. With the planet's magnetic field rapidly deteriorating, our atmosphere literally starts to come apart at the seams with catastrophic consequences. To resolve the crisis, Keyes, along with a team of the world's most gifted scientists, travel into the earth's core. Their mission: detonate a device that will reactivate the core.

Release Date : 2003-03-28

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Paramount PicturesDavid Foster ProductionsHorsePower EntertainmentCore ProductionsLivePlanetMunich Film Partners New Century & Company (MFP) Core Productions

Production Country : United States of AmericaCanadaGermany

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Dr. Josh Keyes

Original Name : Aaron Eckhart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maj. Rebecca Childs

Original Name : Hilary Swank

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzleton

Original Name : Delroy Lindo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Conrad Zimsky

Original Name : Stanley Tucci

Gender : Male

Character Name : Serge

Original Name : Tchéky Karyo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Theodore Donald 'Rat' Finch

Original Name : DJ Qualls

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gen. Thomas Purcell

Original Name : Richard Jenkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cmdr. Robert Iverson

Original Name : Bruce Greenwood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dave Perry

Original Name : Christopher Shyer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paul

Original Name : Ray Galletti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lynne

Original Name : Eileen Pedde

Gender : Female

Character Name : Danni

Original Name : Rekha Sharma

Gender : Female

Character Name : Acker

Original Name : Tom Scholte

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Agent

Original Name : Glenn Morshower

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Agent

Original Name : Anthony Harrison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stickley

Original Name : Alfre Woodard

Gender : Female

Character Name : Court-Martial Presiding Officer

Original Name : Fred Keating

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dad

Original Name : Bart Anderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mom

Original Name : Nicole Leroux

Gender : Female

Character Name : Little Boy

Original Name : Justin Callan

Gender : Male

Character Name : GBTV Reporter - Trafalgar Square

Original Name : Chris Humphreys

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flight Engineer Timmins

Original Name : Dion Johnstone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Endeavor Flight Engineer

Original Name : Fred Ewanuick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chief Engineer Mission Control

Original Name : Hrothgar Mathews

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scientist

Original Name : Ming-Tzong Hong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Zimsky's Assistant

Original Name : Jennifer Spence

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pentagon General

Original Name : Michael St. John Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : FBI Agent - Rat's Apartment

Original Name : John Shaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Security Policeman - Tribunal

Original Name : Nickolas Baric

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rome Café Patron

Original Name : Rosa Di Brigida

Gender : Female

Character Name : Rome Café Patron

Original Name : Roberto Roberto

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rome Café Patron

Original Name : Ermanno De Biagi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rome Café Patron

Original Name : Marcello Laurentis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Luke Barry

Original Name : Matt Winston

Gender : Male

Character Name : News Anchor

Original Name : Claire Riley

Gender : Female

Character Name : News Anchor

Original Name : Marke Driesschen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Project Destiny Engineer

Original Name : Laurie Murdoch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Project Destiny Engineer

Original Name : Costa Spanos

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paris Café Lady

Original Name : Monique Martel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Paris Café Lady

Original Name : Lenie Scoffié

Gender : Female

Character Name : U.S.S. Constellation Captain

Original Name : Nathaniel DeVeaux

Gender : Male

Character Name : U.S.S. Constellation Screen Ops

Original Name : Robert Manitopyes

Gender : Male

Character Name : U.S.S. Soldier (uncredited)

Original Name : Alejandro Abellan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scientist / Extra (uncredited)

Original Name : Benjamin Barton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Coffeehouse Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Angelica Hayden

Gender : Female

Character Name : Beach-goer (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Paul Lewis

Gender : Male

Character Name : (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : Alec Medlock

Gender : Male

Character Name : Security Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Alonso Oyarzun

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scientist (uncredited)

Original Name : Priscilla Poland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Himself

Original Name : Shawn Green

Gender : Male

Character Name : Technician - Virgil Base

Original Name : Greg Bennett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Engineer (uncredited)

Original Name : Jeffrey Gold

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chief Petty Officer (uncredited)

Original Name : Rick Kain

Gender : Male

Character Name : News Anchor (uncredited)

Original Name : Pamela Martin

Gender : Female

Reviews

RalphRahal

@RalphRahal

2025-04-24

The Core might not win any awards for scientific accuracy, and sure, the premise alone invites every kind of eye-roll, but what it does deliver is something we’ve been losing fast in today’s cinematic landscape: original storytelling that doesn't try to go viral or squeeze itself into a franchise mold. It’s from that 2000 to 2010 cultural crossroads, before everything became about metrics and trend-chasing. This was when movies still dared to be weird, flawed, ambitious, and most importantly, human. It has all the hallmarks of that era where studios were still funding original scripts, even if they were risky. And yeah, it paid the price at the box office, but I’d argue it aged better than a lot of so-called “hits” from its time. Directing-wise, Jon Amiel keeps things grounded even when the plot is anything but. He never tries to oversell the drama or throw in unnecessary flash. Instead, he lets the characters carry it. And that’s where The Core shines. The script is quietly brilliant. It doesn’t scream its cleverness, it just talks like people talk. You’ve got emotionally loaded one-liners, smooth transitions, and character-defining dialogue that lands in seconds and moves on. There’s no pandering, no exposition dumps. You either keep up, or you miss it. That kind of confidence in the audience is rare now, especially when studios are so obsessed with clarity over character. One thing that stands out even more today is how unfairly movies like The Core have been treated just because their science wasn’t explained in a way that “felt” believable. The truth is, there are tons of movies with equally ridiculous science that were accepted just because the script guided the audience more carefully. If a movie gives you a decent explanation, even a weak one, it becomes forgivable. But when it doesn’t handhold, even if the logic is the same, it gets slammed. And that’s a problem. The Core didn’t flop because it was more far-fetched than others. It flopped because it didn’t explain its madness in a way that made audiences feel safe. But honestly, once you get past that, what you find underneath is a character-driven, surprisingly well-written story with actual heart. Watching this in 2025 hits different. You realize just how rare it is now to get a non-franchise, non-remake, non-based-on-existing-IP kind of film. Out of the top 66 movies to earn over $100 million in recent years, around 70% were franchise flicks. That tells you everything. Studios are scared to invest in originality, so they don’t. And we as an audience? We’ve gotten used to that. But The Core, for all its plot holes, reminds you what it's like when a movie just wants to tell a story, not trend. It's a reminder that when you kill risk, you kill magic. So if you want to rewatch something that speaks to the lost art of character-driven, original cinema, give this one another look. You might be surprised at how much it says when it’s not trying to go viral.