I love a good sci-fi flick about the end of the world, and "The Core" is one of the best I have seen recently. It boasts great special effects and a cast with some pretty big names, including Hilary Swank.

The plot centers on scientists finding that the center of the Earth has stopped spinning, resulting in all sorts of electromagnetic calamities that will eventually lead to the end of the world. To address this catastrophe in the making, the government sends an eclectic mix of people to the core to get it rotating again.

Okay, so the plot is a little weak, and many things don't make sense - there is a high-powered laser beam that can cut through any material and a ship that can somehow withstand the immense pressure and heat of the inner Earth - but logic isn't the reason I went to see this movie. I saw it for the special effects.

Yes, it's amazing what they can do with computers these days. Seeing Rome fried by lightning is quite impressive; I never thought I would witness the Coliseum exploding into a million chunks. Actually, considering the magnitude of those scenes, it seems the effects team could have come up with something slightly more sophisticated for what the inside of the earth looks like. I didn't know we're standing on thousands of miles of fluorescent jelly beans, as the graphic implied.

Swank delivers a worthy performance as the calmly concerned and brilliantly skilled Major Rebecca Childs. Aaron Eckhart, who plays easy-going college professor Doctor Josh Keyes, and Stanley Tucci, who is the egotistical and immensely intelligent Doctor Conrad Zimski, accompany her with their equally enjoyable performances.

Overall, I would say that despite the nonsensical aspects, this movie is very good. If you like a good near-apocalypse film, go see "The Core."