Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

Director:

Andy Fickman

Writers (WGA):

Matt Lopez (screenplay) and
Mark Bomback (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The Race Is On

Plot:

A Las Vegas cabbie enlists the help of a UFO expert to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans.

Plot Keywords:

Las Vegas | Spacecraft | Alien | UFO | Convention

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Dwayne Johnson	...	Jack Bruno
AnnaSophia Robb	...	Sara
Alexander Ludwig	...	Seth
Carla Gugino	...	Dr. Alex Friedman
Ciarán Hinds	...	Henry Burke
Tom Everett Scott	...	Matheson
Chris Marquette	...	Pope
Billy Brown	...	Carson
Garry Marshall	...	Dr. Donald Harlan
Kim Richards	...	Tina
Ike Eisenmann	...	Sheriff Antony
Tom Woodruff Jr.	...	Siphon
Paul Darnell	...	Siphon (Stunt Double)
John Duff	...	Frank
Bob Koherr	...	Marty

Also Known As:

Witch Mountain (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #45110) | UK:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Ireland:PG | South Korea:12 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIA | Chile:Y7 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:12 | Mexico:A | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Sweden:11 | Japan:G | Netherlands:9

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Both Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann appeared in 1975's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and 1978's Return from Witch Mountain (1978). Their character names in this movie are similar to the ones they had in Escape to Witch Mountain. Kim Richards was Tia in Escape, now she's Tina. Ike Eisenman was Tony in Escape, now he's Anthony.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When "Jack Bruno"' is driving his taxi to the small country town, at least the two right side wheels are seriously out of alignment and both the front and rear bumpers are damaged. When they leave the town the Taxi wheel alinement's is perfect. Considering the garage mechanic only had one hour to do the repairs and it is very highly unlikely he would have color-coded bumpers for an out-of-town taxi, he would not have had enough time to complete the repairs as listed by Jack Bruno let alone the other repairs as seen as they leave town. However, there is nothing that suggests the mechanic didn't re-align the wheels first thing. It could have been that he started with the most obvious first and then moved to under the hood.

Quotes:

Henry Burke: [Jack steps forward] A brave but empty gesture, Mr. Bruno.
Jack Bruno: They're just kids!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "This Morning: (2009-04-09)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Stars

Delightful Family Entertainment

In Las Vegas, the regenerated ex-con Jack Bruno (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) works as taxi driver. During an UFO Convention at Planet Hollywood, the skeptical Jack picks up Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino), who will present a scientific lecture in the event. Then he is pressed by two henchmen of his former boss, the criminal Wolff, that wants to talk to him, but Jack does not want to return to the crime life. Jack fights and gets rid of them; out of the blue, he finds two teenagers on the backseat of his cab. They tell that they are siblings, Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig), and they need to travel to a location outside Las Vegas in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile the government finds a spacecraft that crashed nearby Las Vegas and is chasing the two aliens; after the investigation of the men of Henry Burke (Ciaran Hinds), they discover that the two siblings are the aliens. Jack Bruno, Sara and Seth are chased by Henry Burke's team and by the "Syphon", a killer from outer space that has been sent to kill them by the military of their planet that want to invade Earth. Sara and Seth explain that they traveled to Earth to collect scientific data of an experiment and save Earth from invasion, but they need to return immediately to their planet. Jack teams up with Dr. Alex to retrieve their spacecraft in a secret base in the Witch Mountain.

"Race to Witch Mountain" is a typical movie from Disney, i.e., a delightful family entertainment. The story is predictable and uses the usual clichés of the genre, with the heart-warming hero; the despicable villain; the chase and the car race; the corny conclusion after the first contact; despite of that, I liked "Race to Witch Mountain" a lot. The pleasant cast performs enjoyable characters, and I particularly like The Rock, AnnaSophia Robb and Carla Gugino very much; only the boy Alexander Ludwig is unknown for me. I do not understand why some masochistic viewers that do not like this type of movie waste their time watching them and then write bad reviews; what would they expect? My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Montanha Enfeitiçada" ("The Bewitched Mountain")