OPENING THIS WEEK

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH Review on 16

ALSO OPENING

MEET DAVE (1 hr., 30 min.; PG for bawdy and suggestive humor, action and some language) An alien spaceship comes to Earth disguised as a human being named Dave. What will happen after "Dave" find out that Earth girls are easy? Eddie Murphy plays both the ship and its tiny captain, who looks just like the ship, only smaller. This film was not screened for critics prior to the UV deadline.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX "Who'd want to be taught by me? I'm a nutter, remember?" (PG-13) Plays Wednesday at 9 p.m., SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre, 699 S. State St., Orem. 225-2787. $4/adults and $3/children, students and seniors.

RAISING ARIZONA What family with five newborns couldn't spare at least one of them to a childless couple? (PG-13) Plays Wednesday at 9 p.m., Eccles Outdoor Theater, Sundance. 223-4100. Free.

LARGE FORMAT FILMS

Cricket Imax Theater at Jordan Commons

KUNG FU PANDA (1 hr., 30 min.; PG for sequences of martial arts action) Animal kung fu battles in IMAX widescreen!

U2 3D (1 hr., 25 min.; G) The world's biggest band rocks through South America in this concert film. As seen at Sundance!

Showtimes daily. 9355 S. State St., Sandy. (801) 304-INFO.

Xango Mammoth Screen Theater at Thanksgiving Point

DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA (40 min.; No MPAA rating) Learn about the discovery of super-large dino in South America.

WILD SEA 3D (45 min.; No MPAA rating) Massive aquatic feeding frenzies off the coast of Africa in 3D!

SEA MONSTERS: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE (40 min.; No MPAA rating) Learn about the humongous beasts that used to swim in the sea.

Showtimes daily. 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way, Lehi. 768-2300.

CONTINUING

BABY MAMA (1 hr., 39 min.; PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference) Tina Fey's smart, graceful performance is easily the best ingredient in the lazily familiar recipe for this comedy about every woman's urge to be a mother. The plot is more or less one cliche after another, but Fey and co-stars Amy Poehler and Greg Kinnear will draw you in anyway. [B-]

EMMA SMITH: MY STORY (1 hr., 38 min.; PG for mild thematic elements and brief violence) The wife of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith steps into the spotlight ... sort of. The makers of this lovely, reverential film, including many of the same people who made the LDS Church-produced "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration," don't reveal very much at all about their subject. [C+]

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (1 hr., 42 min.; PG-13 for sequences of martial arts action and some violence) At last! We finally get to find out who would win in a fight between Jackie Chan and Jet Li! Sort of. The beloved martial arts movie stars do indeed kick, punch and chop it out, but they're still just following the script. The movie is fun, though, despite its silly 21st-century framing story. [B]

GET SMART (1 hr., 50 min.; PG-13 for some rude humor, action violence and language) Steve Carell is all Ca-wrong for the Ca-role of secret agent man and '60s TV icon Maxwell Smart. The spy games that Carell and Anne Hathaway (taking over for Barbara Feldon as Agent 99) get up to aren't enjoyable either as action or as comedy. The Rock is wasted in a supporting role. [D+]

HANCOCK (1 hr., 32 min.; PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language) There's a train wreck in "Hancock," and the movie itself is a bit of a train wreck. Will Smith is especially engaging as a loutish, indifferent superhero, however, and the movie gets off to a solid start before an intriguing different, yet cumbersome twist puts a kink in the movie's style. [B-]

HORTON HEARS A WHO! (1 hr., 28 min.; G) Honorable Horton, the elephantine softie who is loyal to the tiny beings only his enormous ears can detect, is as endearing as ever in this feature-length adaptation of the famous fable by latter-day Aesop Dr. Seuss. While a bit long and sometimes silly, the film is delightfully animated and frequently very funny. A fine family entertainment. [A-]

THE INCREDIBLE HULK (1 hr., 54 min.; PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some disturbing images and brief partial nudity) Marvel Comics's not-so-jolly green giant does lots of smashing in this simplistic attempt to blot out the cinematic memory of Ang Lee's prettier, more dramatically complex 2003 film "Hulk." It's fast, furious and flat. [C-]

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2 hrs., 2 min.; PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images) He's back! Indiana Jones's famous fedora fits Harrison Ford as well as it ever has. A lot of the plotting of Dr. J's latest adventure has a logic-defying, seat-of-the-pants heedlessness, but the movie is fast, fun and funny, with great interaction between its stars. [A]

IRON MAN (2 hrs.; PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content) Giving the freshest superhero performance in many a moon, Robert Downey Jr. electrifies this fast, funny chronicle of the Marvel Comics cover boy who fights injustice with the power of heavy metal (and some cool weapons technology). [B+]

KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL (1 hr., 38 min.; G) The story of a bright girl with a nose for news in 1934 Cincinnati is warm and optimistic without flinching from the harsh realities of its era. Abigail Breslin, who lit up "Little Miss Sunshine" a couple of summers ago, is her usual charming self as the lead character, and the movie has a strong supporting cast. [B+]

KUNG FU PANDA (1 hr., 30 min.; PG for sequences of martial arts action) With gorgeous animation and excellent kung fu action, this heroic saga of humor and adventure, in which a tubby panda with a love of kung fu discovers an unlikely destiny, more than delivers on its marketers' promise of "awesomeness." Distinguished by its sharp characters, gentle wisdom and excellent acting. [A]

THE LOVE GURU (1 hr., 28 min.; PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, some comic violence and drug references) Unless you think references to male genitalia are funny -- like, hysterically funny -- then Mike Myers's first live action comedy since "The Cat in the Hat" will leave you cold. There few decent humorous bits go to waste. [D+]

MADE OF HONOR (1 hr., 39 min.; PG-13 for sexual content and language) With marital hijinks that feel more or less nakedly thieved from "My Best Friend's Wedding" and a tone, structure and performances/characters that seem recycled from everything else in its tired genre, "Made to Honor" is a romantic comedy that's strictly for fans of Patrick Dempsey. [C+]

NIM'S ISLAND (1 hr., 35 min.; PG for mild adventure action, brief language and immodest clothing) Jodie Foster plays an agoraphobic adventure novelist summoned to a mysterious island by her littlest fan (Abigail Breslin) after the poor thing's father goes missing. Adults will probably find this one a tough sit, but the lively story and characters will be fun for kids. [B-]

SON OF RAMBOW (1 hr., 36 min.; PG-13 for some violence and reckless behavior) Two British lads, one shy and the other geeky, bond over the Sylvester Stallone movie "First Blood," then decide to produce their own sequel to it. A giddy, silly warmhearted coming-of-age caper, and a treat for anyone who likes a mix of dry humor and outrageous goofiness. [B+]

SPEED RACER (2 hrs., 9 min.; PG for sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking) The gleaming, Day-Glo production design and eye-filling visual effects of this cartoon adaptation are its biggest asset, but a silly story laid out in exhaustive expository keeps everything stuck in second gear. Like Sammy Hagar, Speed Racer can't drive 55. [D]

THE STRANGERS (1 hr., 25 min.; R for violence/terror and language) A trio of hoodlums terrorize two young vacationers staying at a remote cabin. The opening scenes of the movie essentially give away its ending, which sort of, ahem, kills most of the tension from the start. The violence-without-motive premise is chilling, but everything else is hack-and-slash-by-numbers. [D]

WALL-E (1 hr., 43 min.; G) The newest film from Disney and Pixar has an electrifying beginning that stakes an instant claim to full recognition among the classics of science fiction cinema. But what start brilliantly slides into sometimes inspired mediocrity when the story of a lonely litterbot following his programming on a gutted future Earth blasts into deep space. [B-]

WANTED (1 hr., 50 min.; R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality) A dude with a crappy job finds out that life has more to offer, after being kidnapped to be trained as an assassin by a beautiful and deadly woman named Fox. Russian director Timur Bekmambetov and his splashy visual style are a good fit for this goofy action fantasy. [B]

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (1 hr., 38 min.; PG-13 for some sexual and crude content, and language, including a drug reference) Two losers (Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher) find a lot of luck, as well as each other, in Sin City. What happens, though, is that after some initially funny, sorta fresh feuding over a disputed jackpot, the movie pours on the same old rancid sentiment. [C-]

SALT LAKE COUNTY

These films are playing exclusively in Salt Lake County at the theaters indicated.

Broadway Centre at 111 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City -- (801) 321-0310

Carmike 12 at 1600 W. Fox Park Drive, West Jordan -- (801) 562-5760

Carmike Ritz 15 at 3217 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City -- (801) 973-4386

Cinemark 24 at 7301 S. Jordan Landing, West Jordan -- (801) 282-9722

Cinemark Movies 9 at 9359 S. 700 East, Sandy -- (801) 571-0601

Cinemark Movies 10 at 2227 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City -- (801) 466-3797

Cinemark Valley Fair Movies 9 at 3601 S. 2700 West, West Valley City --(801) 969-7281

Megaplex 12 at 200 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City --(801) 304-INFO

Megaplex 17 at 9355 S. State St., Sandy -- (801) 304-INFO

Megaplex 20 at 11400 S. Bangerter Hwy., South Jordan -- (801) 304-INFO

Tower Theatre at 876 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City -- (801) 321-0310

BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER* (1 hr., 45 min.; PG-13 for thematic material involving drugs, language, some sexual content and violent images) Steroid culture and the misguided desires that have driven its growth over the past 20 years go under the microscope in this homegrown documentary. The filmmakers lack polish, but they're entertaining and conversant in the topic. [B] Broadway

COLLEGE ROAD TRIP (1 hr., 23 min.; G) The era of Martin Lawrence the Disneyfied, Totally Defanged Wussbag rolls forth in this tiresome, shrill daddy-daughter bonding comedy. Lawrence is a over-protective pop who makes a last-ditch attempt to convince daddy's little girl (Raven-Symon) to enroll at Hometown U instead of (gulp!) Georgetown. With Donny Osmond! [D] Valley Fair 9

THE HAPPENING (1 hr., 39 min.; R for violent and disturbing images) Something terrible is, ah, happening to people in the northeastern United States, where a mysterious toxin is in the air. Something terrible will happen to you, too, if you see this exercise in clumsy horror: an attack of crippling boredom. At least the movie is funny ... though not because it means to be. [D-] Cinemark 24

HAROLD KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY (1 hr., 42 min.; R for strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language and drug use) They aren't as funny as they were the first time, but the dope lovin' duo with a nose for trouble still find plenty of laughs while alternating between recycling the best bits of their first adventure and poking fun at post-9/11 paranoia. [B-] Valley Fair 9

MONGOL (2 hrs., 26 min.; R for sequences of bloody warfare) Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov focuses his visual gifts on the story of the Mongol warlord who conquered more of the Old World than anyone else before or since. The sprawling, very bloody battle scenes are impressive, but the movie also takes time to explore the forces that the shaped the young emperor-in-waiting. [A-] Broadway

SUPERHERO MOVIE (1 hr., 25 min.; PG-13 for crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references and language) From some of the people who brought you the comedy classic "Airplane!," but none of the people who brought you "Epic Movie" and "Date Movie," comes this spoof of superhero movies in general and "Spider-Man" in particular. Better than most of the thuddingly generic junk in this genre. [C] Valley Fair 9

THE VISITOR (1 hr., 48 min.; PG-13 for brief strong language) Returning to a seldom-used apartment in New York City, a lonely widower discovers that his lease has been fraudulently sold to an immigrant couple. Instead of involving the authorities, he tries to help them out and forges new frienships. A gentle, involving story driven by excellent performances. [A] Broadway

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (1 hr., 53 min.; PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language and nudity) It would be overstating the reality of this dippy comedy -- about a Mossad agent who trades in his derring-do for a daring 'do and becomes a stylist in NYC -- to call it "smart." For a typically tawdry Adam Sandler comedy, however, it's practially a work of genius. [B-] Cinemark 24