Starring: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino
Director: Andy Fickman (The Game Plan, She’s the Man)
Running Time: 1 hr 39 min
Release Date: March 13, 2009
Budget: estimated $50 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 46%
“…crafty mixture of action, humor and drama.” Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
“… simply not that much fun.” USA Today
Like a theme park ride, Disney’s loose remake of its 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain is a fast, entertaining adrenaline rush but forgettable once it’s over. Race to Witch Mountain has a simple yet appealing plot about a Las Vegas cabbie (Johnson) who helps two precocious alien kids (Robb and Ludwig) find their spaceship so they can return home to save their planet and ours. Their pursuit by U.S. government officials, mobsters, and a Terminator-like creature makes for exciting obstacles but too often leads to overextended chase scenes. With some corniness suitable only to tweens, it’s made enjoyable by Johnson who’s a wonderful oxymoron of a kid-friendly tough guy.
