Race to Witch Mountain

The movie Race to Witch Mountain, directed by Andy Fickman, is an action-packed, fun filled motion picture, which follows the story of two earth-bound child aliens (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) on their quest to save their home planet from destruction, save Earth from imminent danger, and find the spacecraft they crash-landed on Earth.

They are accompanied by a rough, ex-con, Las Vegas cab driver named Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson), who selflessly drives the “kids” across the desert in order to find the key to regenerate life. Unfortunately, they are being followed by an alien assassin, also known as a Siphon, from their home planet.

They must go to Witch Mountain in order to reclaim their spacecraft and return to their home planet with the key to their success.

Although Race to Witch Mountain is targeting a younger age group, it is a great movie for anyone. Whether you are 8 or 80, it is entertaining from beginning to end, and never ceases to please with an abundance of special effects, action sequences, and witty remarks.

The movie is fairly fast-paced, only slowing for moments of explanation and clarification of the plot. Dwayne Johnson seems a little out of his element, but his dry humor succeeds in making the audience chuckle at many points throughout the film.

The portrayal of Jack Bruno could be a bit more convincing during the more sentimental and dramatic stages of the story, but he makes up for this fact during the action scenes, which are definitely one of the movie's highlights, as well as his strong suit. Sara and Seth, the two alien children, are a little stiff as well, but this is partially due to their roles: aliens from another planet, never having experienced the fundamental basics associated with earth.

This feature film also proves to be a new spin on the classic feature film, Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), directed by John Hough. It attempts to keep up with the times, in an ever-changing world of technology and CGI. In this 2009 version, there are no scheming millionaires or helpful widowers, but here are plenty of powerful aliens and devious government agents to go around.

Race to Witch Mountain is an exhilarating movie, showcasing Disney's continued success in reaching a wide range of viewers.

OVERALL....

NOT BAD

7/10