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‘Race’ makes for caffeinated ‘Witch Mountain’
Naming Disney’s do-over of its super-powered kids franchise Race to Witch Mountain feels entirely appropriate. This zippy new movie plays like the 70s movies hopped up on a case of Red Bull. If this movie is a hare, 1975’s Escape to Witch Mountain and 1978’s Return from Witch Mountain are tortoises by comparison.
Put another way, this isn’t your father’s (read: my generation’s) Witch Mountain.
The new movieis essentially a reimagining of the 1975 film, with a few key changes. Whereas the alien kids in the original Witch Mountain films were Tony and Tia, here, they’re the similarly alliterative Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb). He can change his body density so that he’s either a ghost or a concrete wall; she’s a telekinetic and a mind rider. They hitch a ride with an ex-con cab driver (Dwayne Johnson), insisting he take them to safety, lest the Earth suffer an alien invasion.
Whereas the original movies were sci-fi comedies, Race to Witch Mountain is more of a sci-fi action flick, for better and worse. On the plus side, most of the action scenes are exciting and suspenseful, with slick effects. and director Andy Fickman (The Game Plan) paces the movie well. It rarely lets up.
On the negative side, sometimes the action is a little too intense. Most movie violence doesn’t face me, but here, it feels a little jarring for what is ostensibly a family film, throwing off the tone. Even if a movie stars Dwayne “What Rock? Johnson as the lead, does he really have to bust as many heads as he does?
Maybe that question answers itself, but Race to Witch Mountain, while entertaining, isn’t quite as good as I hoped it would be, and part of that reason is the emphasis on Johnson. The fault lies not with the actor - by now he’s proved himself an engaging leading man. Instead, the fault is that the kids get somewhat lost amid all the fights and chases.
The original Witch Mountain films featured established stars like Eddie Albert, Ray Milland, Christopher Lee and Bette Davis, but Tony and Tia were always front and center. That’s not so much the case with Seth and Sara, who are much more alien and less human in their behavior than Tony and Tia. (For instance, they call everyone by both their first and last names). I regret that change, especially because it doesn’t allow the gifted Robb, who was wonderful in Disney’s Bridge to Terabithia, to show her range fully.
Despite my misgivings, I still enjoyed the ride, even with all the whiplash. The adults are well cast. Carla Gugino brings a lot of energy to her role as an alien-obsessed scientist, Ciaran Hinds is nicely menacing as the Big, Bad Government Official, and Garry Marshall has fun with his part as an alien conspiracy theorist. Setting the movie amid a Las Vegas sci-fi convention was an inspired idea that leads to some good gags.
Best of all for Disney aficionados, Race to Witch Mountain contains several knowing winks to the 1975 film, including appearances by the original stars, Ike Eisenmann and my childhood crush, Kim Richards.
As far as Disney remakes go, this is not quite as good as Freaky Friday, but it’s about on par with, say, Herbie: Fully Loaded. Maybe Race to Witch Mountain could have been better, but hey - the door is open for another sequel.
GRADE: B
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