Summary

• Jules Verne's work has inspired numerous movie adaptations and is the foundation for some of the earliest science fiction films.
• Some Jules Verne adaptations are entertaining and enjoyable, while others are outdated and not required viewing.
• The film "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (2008) successfully updates Verne's classic story with modern special effects and remains fun to watch.

Jules Verne is undoubtedly one of the most prominent authors in science fiction, and its no wonder that his works have inspired countless movie adaptations. One of the most translated writers in human history, the French author has written legendary tales like 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days. Verne's daring imagination put him far ahead of his time, and it's no surprise that movie studios have sought to replicate his sense of wonder with multiple live-action adaptations of Jules Verne stories.

Jules Verne's work has become the foundation for some of the earliest films in the science fiction genre, some of which even hold up today remarkably well as enjoyable, adventurous romps through the imagination. The mid-to-late 2000s saw a resurgence of Jules Verne films as well, to varying degrees of success, with studios hoping to recapture the joy and nostalgia of the earliest films to adapt Verne's books for a new generation. With so many familiar titles, it's a difficult task to distinguish the very best depictions of Jules Verne's novels over the years.

10 Journey To The Center Of The Earth

1999

An easily-overlooked made-for-TV movie, the two-part Journey to the Center of the Earth special was a solid attempt at getting to the center of what made Verne's original story so memorable. The film is decidedly slow-moving and low-budgeted, with some creature effects occasionally bordering the precipice of acceptable for a shoestring budget, but the C-List actors can often bring in decent performances amid the campy set-dressing. Despite it's many flaws, the two-part film is an entertaining, knowingly campy jog through Verne's beloved tale of subterranean exploration.

9 Master Of The World

1961

Master of the World is the sole film to adapt Jules Verne's novel of the same name, and when compared to his other, more well-known stories, it's easy to see why. The narrative of a rich maniac dedicated to the idea of threatening the world's governments into laying down their arms isn't quite as whimsical as Verne's other premises. As for the film, despite rich talent from the likes of a young Charles Bronson and the legendary Vincent Price, the special effects are especially outdated, even for the time period. Master of the World is fun, but not required viewing.

8 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

2012

This semi-adaptation picks up where 2008's Journey to the Center of the Earth left off, replacing Brendan Fraser with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. As the passable action adventure delves into the incredible isle, the tone rides a strange line, at once too scary for younger viewers and too subdued for older ones. Amid mediocre CGI and all-too subdued performances, the best thing that can be said about Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was how it pioneered the art of throwing Johnson into a jungle, later done better in films like Jungle Cruise and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

7 Around The World In 80 Days

1956

Though the idea of circumnavigating the globe in the span of 80 days is now a triviality, in Verne's time, such a time was the stuff of science fiction. The 1956 take on the story is an incredibly grand adventure comedy with a runtime that feels nearly as long as the titular journey itself. The international cast is crammed with stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, who had enough charisma between them to earn the film an early Academy Award for Best Picture. Today, the spectacle and aged humor can be best appreciated as a museum of 50s stardom.

6 Journey To The Center Of The Earth

2008

Starring a young Josh Hutcherson and Brendan Fraser, still hot off the success of The Mummy trilogy, 2008's Journey To The Center Of The Earth had all the makings of an action-adventure hit. Being the first to truly update one of Verne's classic stories with modern special effects, the film still looks great 15 years later, even if it is marred by several obvious moments clearly meant to be enjoyed in the context of a 3-D theater. Adapting the classic adventure about as well as it could have, Journey To The Center Of The Earth isn't revolutionary, but undeniably fun.

5 Around The World In 80 Days

2004

While most adaptations of Verne's work make at least some departures from the source material, 2004's Around The World In 80 Days completely re-imagines the story as a raucous action-comedy. Though critically-panned at the time, the film is endlessly re-watchable today, with eye-popping action choreography courtesy of Jackie Chan's Passepartout and deadpan comedic timing from Steve Coogan's Phineas Fogg. If the anachronisms and deviations from Verne's novel can be forgiven, Around The World In 80 Days is a creative globe-trotting adventure that doesn't get the respect it deserves.

4 Journey To The Center Of The Earth

1959

There's simply no replicating the cheesy fun of the original Journey To The Center Of The Earth, an earnest science fiction adventure movie that wears its heart on its sleeve. The special effects are certainly dated, but it's hard not to wring a certain level of charm out of the delicately hand-painted backgrounds and practical lizardman costumes. Beyond the addition of the deliciously dastardly villain, Count Saknussemm, the film is also one of the most faithful to Verne's work, a commendable effort in and of itself.

3 The Mysterious Island

1961

The Mysterious Island is one of Jules Verne's lesser-known stories, but the 1961 film of the same name takes every advantage of the novel's conceits. Following a group of Union soldiers in the Civil War who escape prison in a hot air balloon only to wash up on a bizarre uncharted island, the film's sense of tension only ever dials up, as the heroes contend with grimy human pirates and giant fauna rendered by the talent of stop-motion legend Ray Harryhausen. Not the deepest narrative, this thrilling tale of danger holds up decades later remarkably well as a harrowing odyssey.

2 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

1954