Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Having exhausted Western and Eastern folklore as subjects for their animated extravaganzas, the Disney people are now resorting to pillaging other movies. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Indiana Jones trilogy, even The Time Machine and the recent, unlamented Titan A.E. are just some of the sources ransacked for Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Although the ingredients may be different, the formula is much the same. It's 1914, and Milo (voiced by Michael J. Fox) is an underappreciated nerd toiling away in the bowels of the Smithsonian. He has a dream of discovering Atlantis, a dream his grandfather died trying to fulfill. A wacky philanthropist gives him a submersible of Jules Verne proportions manned by a dicy crew headed by flinty commander Rourke (James Garner), and they're off on an undersea voyage reminiscent of scenes from Star Wars: Episode I and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Softcore PC values -- the environment, multiculturalism, individual empowerment -- tediously prevail, but along the way some of the CGI-enhanced vistas impress, as do funny performances by Don Novello as demolitions expert Vinny and Florence Stanley as crusty switchboard operator Mrs. Packard. Atlantis begins with a quote from Plato and ends with a dedication to the late Jim Varney (the voice of "Cookie") but can't seem to find a happy medium between these two extremes. At the Apple Valley, Entertainment, Flagship, Hoyts Providence 16, Opera House, and Showcase cinemas.
-- Peter Keough