AS pigeons fall out of the sky over Trafalgar Square and people with pacemakers drop dead in Boston, the people at the top start to get worried. Other incidents of bizarre weather formations and strange lights in the sky are reported.

The Earth's inner core has stopped turning, time is effectively standing still and the planet is hurtling towards its death.

Top scientists lead by Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart), Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci) and Sergei Levenque (Tcheky Karyo) is assembled to join a vessel built by Braz (Delroy Lindo) and piloted by terranauts Bech (Hilary Swank) and Iverson (Bruce Greenwood) on a journey to the centre of the Earth.

Essentially, they believe that if they can burrow through the Earth, gaining access to the planet's molten central core and let off a load of nukes, they'll kick-start the rotation and save the planet. Hurrah!

It's a bold enough piece of sci-fi hokum that relies heavily on special effects and the set pieces - Golden Gate Bridge melting, the Coliseum exploding - are pretty good.

The centre of the Earth looks not unlike the underwater journey in The Phantom Menace and there isn't a sign of Doug McClure.

A weary script and a plot that's peppered with gaping holes can't rescue some clanky - although Tucci's efforts to camp it up as the prima donna physics doctor offer some amusement.

Starring Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart, Tcheky Karyo, Stanley Tucci, Delroy Lindo, DJ Qualls, Bruce Greenwood, Alfre Woodard, Terry O'Quinn

Updated: 08:55 Friday, March 28, 2003