SYNOPSIS:
Fasten your seatbelts for the thrill ride of your life in Disney's fun family action-adventure: RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, starring Dwayne Johnson. Jack Bruno (Johnson), a Las Vegas cabdriver struggling to stay on the right path, gets an out-of-this-world incentive when two aliens, disguised as teenagers, suddenly appear in his taxi. In a race against government agents, an alien hunter and time itself, Jack must help the children recover their lost spaceship so they can return home and save their planet and ours. Breathtaking chases, close calls and special effects make this an action-adventure the whole family will enjoy.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Race
to witch mountain is described as a 'modern re-imagining'
of the 1975 Disney classic, Escape to Witch Mountain. In short,
it simply means 98 minutes of sci-fi, action flick for the
kids and the kid in you.
Without much hassle, the script by Mark Bomback
(Die Hard 4) and Matt Lopez (Bedtime Stories) throws you right
into the action beginning with a brief opening that shows
our main protagonist, Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) as a cab
driver in Las Vegas. When two aliens, Sarah and Seth (AnnaSophia
Robb and Alexander Ludwig) disguised as typical American teenager
board Bruno’s cab, it’s a race to witch mountain
to retrieve their captured spaceship. Along the way, the trio
must evade from the closing government agents and also a deadly
assassin from their planet.
The
setup is a weak attempt at demonstrating some decent car chases
and updated (not great though) special effects. Read: Child-friendly
action pieces. The pacing is remarkably fast (you are strongly
advised not to go for any toilet breaks) and it indeed feels
like a 'race' whether or not you embrace the idea. Director
Andy Fickman (The Game Plan) abandons any real sense of danger
or thrills and it’s just chase after chase, explosion
one after another that it’s just gets a bit numbing
over a while.
With
any typical sci-fi flick, there’s bound to be some unusual
powers demonstrated and we have Seth and Sarah to thank for
as they show us the meaning of telekinesis and telepathic
powers. These small sequences in fact works far better than
the clunky chases on the whole. And if the script lightens
a little, it will certainly improve on the 'robotic' looking
aliens.
Dwayne Johnson is a charismatic actor and
it shows yet again he can be goofy, serious and heroic simultaneously.
This is one movie that he can actually relax those bulging
biceps and goes for a ride with his two young cast members
and veterans like Ciarán Hinds and Carla Gugino. Familiar
faces such as Chris Marquette (Fanboys), Tom Everett Scott
(An American Werewolf in Paris) plays agents and Garry Marshall
rounds up the cast as an eccentric writer.
I
doubt those lines about alien flora or save the planet message
is going to stay long in our minds or the younger ones. Accompanied
by a pretty loud soundtrack by Trevor Rabin, Race to Witch
Mountain is a reel version of a Disneyland theme park attraction.
Forget about the storytelling, put on your safety belt and
just go for a ride. This is one adventure that is certified
safe for the entire family.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
The exclusive to Blu-ray featurette Which Mountain is an 8 minutes segment showing off the hidden references to the original 1975 movie and also featuring some famous cameos. There are 23 minutes of Deleted Scenes
(9 sequences which you can view at one go) with commentary
provided by Andy Fickman and 3 minutes of Blooper
reel. The disc is round up by trailers
from Disney releases including Ponyo, Up, Earth, Santa Buddies, Tinkerbell
and the Lost Treasure, Disney Parks, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition, The Princess and the Frog and Hanna Montana The Movie.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The visual of this high definition disc is overall stunning and colourful despite several night scenes. Unfortunately, the all too good transfer apparently shows some of the less than whelming special effects.
We highly recommend the English DTS-HD soundtrack which receives plenty of rear action and overall pretty dynamic given the resonating surround sound mix. When switch to the Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1, there’s an obvious difference in sonic level.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
Posted on 16 October 2009
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