Race to Witch Mountain Review

Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (Anna Sophia Robb) crashed to Earth and escape the men in black swarming their crash site. Luckily for them, they crashed close enough to Las Vegas that they hook up with Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson), an ex-con with a shady past and a good heart. He's trying to stay clean and drives a taxi for a living. When the kids appear in his taxi, he's skeptical of their request and why they have so much money, but adopts an air of 'hey, it's Vegas' and thus begins the heart-racing film that will send them to the desert, a UFO/science fiction convention and much, much more.

What You Need to Know

Growing up, I met Tony and Tia on a crazy journey to Escape to Witch Mountain. These orphaned twins lost their memory, but knew they needed to get away - especially when an eccentric millionaire took an interest in them. Tony and Tia used their powers of telekinesis and telepathy to run away and eventually reunite with their people at their colony.

Other than the name, the fact that the alien brother and sister are blondes and on the run is about the only resemblance to the original that Race to Witch Mountain possesses. This film stands up quite well to the lens of a jaded fan who loved the original, campy movies so much.

Race to Review Mountain

Dwayne Johnson is great. The Rock is as charming and as credible in this film as he was in The Game Plan. From the moment you meet his Jack Bruno, you are drawn in by his sad eyes. The man is just tired. It's clear that he's tired, he's beaten and he's just going through the motions. His confrontation with the mob boss' men doesn't change that and his initial reaction to the kids appearing in his taxi doesn't either. It's a transformation that will take time.

Seth and Sara do not talk telepathically like their cinematic ancestors, but they do have a nifty set of abilities. Sara's gifted with telekinesis and telepathy. Seth can manipulate his molecules, fading through objects and becoming so dense that he can shatter a vehicle against his body without taking an ounce of damage. Ludwig gives Seth the right edge of distrust and loner to Robb's more optimistic nature. Both kids ooze determination, but avoid the saccharine trap quite neatly. A number of their lines require a complex use of grammar that they master with ease.

The Villains of the Piece

In the place of the eccentric millionaire and his goons are an alien super soldier and the government's men in black. The FBI guys are pretty forgettable, but they swarm up constantly and provide a faceless menace that edges towards campy whenever Henry Burke (their lead agent) starts talking in his slow, Jack Malone wanna be voice. He's trumped in a huge way by the alien super soldier coming for Seth and Sara. The soldier menaces them throughout the film, constantly appearing and doing a devastating amount of damage along the way. Of the two, he's the far more terrifying.

Some tense scenes involve chasing, drugging the kids and more than a few explosions. Kids younger than seven or eight might not care for the action sequences, but they are all pretty bloodless. There's more than a few humorous moments for the science fiction fans in the audience at the UFO convention.

The Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge

For fans of the original, pay very close attention when Jack and the kids stop in Stony Creek. Sara makes friends with Junkyard (a dog) and they find help from a familiar pair. Sheriff Antony (Ike Eisenmann, Tony) runs interference with the FBI and waitress Tina (Kim Richards, Tia) helps the three escape out a backdoor that leads to the roof. The cameos are not heavy handed and a very nice nod to the original films.

Four out of Five

The film gets a solid four out of five stars. Some of the chase scenes go long and some of the action is predictable, but it's a solid attempt by Disney to offer a new approach to a tale originally told by Alexander Key.