Better than Expected - Entertaining for the Whole Family
Written: Mar 15 '09 (Updated Mar 15 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Typical Disney plot without loose ends, adequate special effects, entertaining throughout
Cons: Light, but nothing else should be expected
The Bottom Line: If you have kids and enjoy family films, this film is a good choice
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| swopedesign's Full Review: Race to Witch Mountain |
I don't remember much about the original Witch Mountain films from the 1980s. Which means that I did not dislike them. When the previews for this new film appeared, it looked like it would follow a similar plot with updated special effects and a good male lead in Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock). Since I like Dwayne Johnson's films, and especially liked him in The Game Plan, another Disney offering, and like science fiction in general, I put my kids in the car and took them to see Race to Witch Mountain while we were out of town visiting my parents.
We were not disappointed. The film was better than I expected, and better than I remember the original films to be. It kept me and my two boys, ages 5 and 6, entertained throughout. The film is not long on philosophy or intellectual depth, but it is a straight-forward live-action Disney production. Everything and everyone is who they appear and pretend to be. There are no surprises in the film, plot twists or reversals.
In short, a space craft crashes to earth. Of course, the government has tracked the craft and dispatches units to cordon off the area and search for wreckage and passengers. They find two sets of footprints leaving the area, and using modern technology such as surveillance cameras, ATM cameras, traffic cams, are able to learn that the children have been picked up by a cab, driven by Jack Bruno in Las Vegas, and the chase ensues. As the plot progresses, we learn the children have come to earth to save it from invasion from their planet, whose natural resources have been depleted and can no longer support life (sound familiar); however, the children's father believes their planet can be made habitable again, but the information to do so happens to be hidden on earth in a dilapidated mountain cabin. Here, an indestructible alien assassin, bred to hunt and kill, enters the picture. Like the originals, there are now two entities chasing the aliens and the humans who help them. Eventually, Jack and the aliens enlist the aid of a believer at a UFO convention back in Las Vegas, and they are able to find their ship and return home to save both their planet and ours.
Race to Witch Mountain is not carried by special effects, though they are appropriate for the film (I've heard some negative comments about the special effects). I have no complaints about them. They do not detract from the film in any way and move the plot forward.
Two memorable special effects scenes occur in the film. Early in the film, as they are being pursued by black SUVs, the young boy alien, who is able to alter his molecular density, wrecks one of the SUVs by standing in the road in its path. This is one of the scenes shown on the previews. The other memorable special effects scene occurs near the end of the film as the aliens and Jack Bruno try to persuade a ufo researcher-physicist to help them find their crashed ship and return home. The aliens activate a holigraphic display of their universe and home planet that seems to fill the room in three dimensional space. It's a very nice effect overall for the film and actually exceeds my expectations.
Race to Witch Mountain is entertaining, light fare suitable for the entire family. It is neither too long nor too short and does not leave any loose ends, except the aliens' handheld device in the possession of Jack Bruno so they can be found again by the aliens.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
swopedesign
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Member: Mike Swope
Location: Wichita, KS
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Graphic/web designer. Grew brother's retail tire business. Now managing a similar long-established business.
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