Plot When young, superpowered aliens Sara (Robb) and Seth (Ludwig) get into ex-con Jack’s (Johnson) taxi, they set in motion a chase involving federal goons, an otherworldly assassin and a secret that may just hold the key to the fate of Earth...
Review
For someone who started his movie career under a pseudonym, it’s perhaps unsurprising that The Rock’s career to date has seen him endure something of an identity crisis, flitting from genre to genre like an indecisive customer in Blockbuster.
Some have worked (action, with Welcome To The Jungle), some haven’t (apocalyptic mash-ups, with Southland Tales), but finally, with the switch to Disney-sanctioned fare like The Game Plan and now this semi-remake of the 1975 semi-classic, Escape To Witch Mountain, he may finally be becoming the movie star he’s always threatened to be.
Of course, The Rock is dead now — long live Dwayne Johnson — but the God-given charisma that separates him from all the other ex-wrestling lugs out there remains. Although when we first meet Johnson’s disenchanted, monosyllabic Jack Bruno, that charisma is held firmly in check. At times, as he pummels a punching bag in his shithole apartment, it’s almost as if Travis Bickle had wandered into a Disney flick.
But when the alien kids, winningly played by AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig, get into his cab, the shields come down. As ever, Johnson excels when he’s required to punch and kick people — and, unusually for a Disney, there’s plenty of that, particularly when the alien assassin, the Siphon, shows up. But he also displays a fine comic touch, notably in scenes where he’s creeped out by Robb’s telekineticism, or holds a conversation with an overfriendly, semi-telepathic dog.
As you might expect with a remake, even a loose one like this, there’s nothing particularly original here. The kids’ powers are cribbed from comic books, while there’s more than a hint of The X-Files’ Cigarette Smoking Man in the omnipresent sneer of Ciarán Hinds’ dogged, alien-hunting spook.
But director Andy Fickman, becoming something of a family-friendly Scorsese to his Game Plan star Johnson’s De Niro, papers over the cracks by moving things along at a relentless pace, and showing off a hitherto unsuspected flair for suspense. And if the climax is a little clunky, with undistinguished action sequences, the movie manages to scrape through on the force of its quirky personality.
Verdict An unexpectedly entertaining mixture of good, clean Disney fun with some rather more modern action scenes, lent charm by Johnson’s natural swagger. One of the better family films in a while.
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Average user rating for Race To Witch Mountain
Poor
Dull and insipid. Badly shot, badly written and incredibly patronising and cliched for anyone over the age of 8. The Rock is the best thing in it and even he struggles. ... Read More
Witch Mountain/u] fare means the toning down of practically everything to ensure that it is safe for the entire family to experience together. Johnsonright at home in family friendly flicks like e Plans action days on screen will be few and far between, especially when he gets to flaunt his dramatic and comedic flair. uginoseen as the aged ectrechmenctive only in the last third of the show, which was somewhat of a pity because she shared great chemistry with the rest of the cast, and got invol... Read More
I remember the old movies, Escape and Return to Witch Mountain. Sure, they are dated but were good enough to watch with the family whenever it was on. The remake now called Race To Witch Mountain starring The Rock (oh sorrry, it's Dwanye Johnson!), is moderan but hasn't got the feel of it being a Disney movie. Far too violent and scary for younger kids, the script is undeinably chessy and the ending a little rushed is some of the bad points. But it does have some good action scenes, it's enough ... Read More
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