Race to Witch Mountain (DVD)

Although I normally shy away from Disney films, there was something about the trailers for Race to Witch Mountain that captured my imagination. The most popular trailer shows a battered yellow taxi racing across the American countryside, pursued by sinister black SUVs. Inside a young boy melts through the seat of the cab, disappearing through the car body and reappearing on the road, only to be hit full on by the SUV. The SUV crumples, as if hit by a rockface, and the boy stands unharmed. This trailer really fascinated me; was it magic? - was it an extraterrestrial power? - was it a superhero? Either way, this short clip was persuasive enough to make me rent ...  Read the complete review

Andy Fickman directs this remake children sci-fi movie RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN. The movie centres on Dwayne Johnson's character Jack Bruno who is a taxi driver. On drivng a doctor home one evening she explains her beliefs on aliens and UFO's. A couple of days later Jack picks up two children Seth played by Alexander Ludwig and Sara played by Anna Sophia Robb who say they will pay Jack $15,000 if he drives them to Witch Mountain because they are aliens being chased. If they are caught as well it could mean the end for planet earth. From here the film takes many twists and turns as the three try to get to Witch Mountain along with many setbacks. The ...  Read the complete review

Re-imagining is the term now thrown at every cash in franchise kicked out of Hollywood. Re-imagining simply means it's a remake with a slight twist in the story. I'm not entirely for remakes as they are rarely as good as the original, but if they are going to take a story and make it different, why not just make an entirely new story altogether. However, in this time of umpteenth sequels, its hardly that offensive to wheel out a dead franchise with an entirely new plot, set of characters and some fresh faced talent. In the mid 70's, the Disney film of the moment was Escape To Witch Mountain which was followed up with a slightly underwhelming but watchable sequel ...  Read the complete review

Jack Bruno is an ex-con who has turned over to the good side and now works in a normal job as a taxi driver in Las Vegas. But when he picks up two teenagers who want to be dropped off in the middle of the dessert, his day becomes a lot more exciting. He has a shock when he finds out that the human-looking pair are actually aliens and are being chased by the US government who have stumbled upon the siblings' spacecraft. Also on their tail, is Syphon, another alien sent from a different planet to destroy the teenagers. With the help of UFO expert, Dr Alex Friedman, who just happens to be presenting a scientific lecture in town, Jack risks his own life in attempting to ...  Read the complete review

Note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room Generally speaking, I hate remakes, but when the original film isn't that good anyway, I'm not so bothered. Race to Witch Mountain is a loose reboot of the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, and while I don't really care about the original film's rather diminutive "legacy", there's not enough here to make it a particularly enjoyable film, even despite a rather surprisingly fun performance by former WWE superstar The Rock, or, sorry, Dwayne Johnson, as he now likes to be billed. Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) is a Las Vegas cabbie who gives a lift to Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino), ...  Read the complete review