Race to Witch Mountain

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Akexabder Ludwig, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Everett Scott, Gary Marshall, Cheech Marin
Directed by: Andy Fickman
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Kym (Anne Hathaway) gets out of rehab to attend her sister, Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. However, the sisters occasionally clash, old wounds are reopened, and a family is forced to take a hard look at itself.

Review:

Tim: I appreciate that this move is not so much of a remake as it is a complete reimagining of the 1975 film with a similar name. This movie takes that basic idea, but goes in a different direction, giving us a new and somewhat unique movie. This film has a bit of that Disney magic, and it manages to be fairly good. I was entertaining, surprised at the level of suspense, and found myself enjoying the film. While it doesn't offer anything particularly new, it repackages old ideas into a pretty good movie.

I suppose I have to call The Rock by his real name, Dwayne Johnson. While I'm not happy about it, I respect his choice. Johnson is pretty good in this film. He has quite a bit of experience acting at this point in his career, and it shows. While I wish he would do more darker, adult movies, I understand the appeal of making kid friendly fare. He definitely has presence on the screen, and he has surprisingly good comedic timing. I wish he would learn to be more subtle in his line delivery, as he too often goes over-the-top. Still, he is likeable and has fun with the role, which are impressive characteristics.

The rest of the supporting cast isn't too bad, either. AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig generally do a good job as the two alien kids. Robb has a few great moments, particularly when she interacts with Johnson. While I don't know anything about either one, I was more impressed with Robb and think she has potential to have a long Hollywood career. I don't have any complaints with either, but neither blew me away. I liked seeing Carla Gugino in this film. She brings a touch of experience and class to the role, and I liked her performance. Tom Everett Scott's presence is welcome, as I wish he would do more acting work.

As I mentioned, I was surprised this film was as suspenseful as it was. There are some truly thrilling moments, particularly around the alien assassin tracking down our heroes. In addition, there are some very good car chase scenes, a close encounter with a train, giant fireballs, and more. This film is more intense than you might expect from a kid-oriented Disney movie. I was impressed with the impact this movie made. I am not entirely sure why, but I love the image of a yellow taxi cab driving down the highway in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. That image sums up this film for me, and I like that director Andy Fickman went for the high overhead shot to capture it.

This isn't a great movie, despite its many strengths. There are a few cheesy Disney moments, which might appeal to the youngest of kids but adds very little to the film. Johnson has a few moments where his delivery is off, or he has to deliver some eye-rolling line of dialogue from the script. Plus, the movie as a whole could have hit us on a more emotional level. The story is interesting, but this is surface level. This film isn't very deep.

I was a bit surprised I liked this movie as much as I did. I know Disney sometimes gets a bad rap for their kid-friendly movies, but this is one that should appeal to a wide audience. Race to Witch Mountain is a pretty exciting, family oriented movie that manages to entertain while keeping it certifiably PG. That is sometimes a welcome feat.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Game Plan, Escape to Witch Mountain, Return to Witch Mountain, Get Smart