Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

Score: 7/10

Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) is a former driver for a mafia lord (or some bad guy). He used to be in and out of jail since a young age. However, he has decided to change and now he leads an honest living. He becomes a taxi driver in Las Vegas.

One day, two teens, Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb), suddenly appear on the back seat of his taxi. They ask Jack to bring them to a location somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Soon, Jack realizes that these kids are different than normal kids. In fact, some crazy folks start chasing his taxi. Seth and Sara tell him that they are aliens and they were sent to earth to save the planet from an intergalactic invasion that will wipe the entire human beings from the face of the earth.

Seth and Sara have supernatural abilities that are shown throughout the movie to complete their mission. Seth can influence the structure of his body so he can become rock solid or pass through solid objects. Sara on the other hand, can read minds and has telekinesis ability.

The kids have to find their spaceship in the Witch Mountain and report their finding to prevent the imminent destruction toward the earth. Along the way, they are being chased by government agents and an alien assassin. The trio gets helps from UFO scientists, Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino) and Dr. Donald Harlan (Garry Marshall).

This is a typical Disney movie. Kids with the help from some good adults try to achieve a greater good while some big important guys try to jeopardize the plan. The acting is good. Robb continues her fine performance from A Bridge of Terabithia, while Ludwig, a fine handsome lad from the Seeker: The Dark is Rising performs well here. Johnson appears in almost every instance in the movie and he pulls some entertaining acts and dialogues. I like the funny Disneyish remarks and comedies throughout the movie. They keep the movie alive instead of falling into absolute boringness.

The visual effects look good and they are a nice eye candy. The one when Seth stops a car with his body is the best effect in the movie. The story could and should have been better. There are some nonsense sequences. It is indicated that Sara can disable cars easily, but she let some cars chase them in some occasions. Furthermore, there is one occasion where it seems very easy for Jack and Dr. Alex to sneak into a closely guard important government facility.

All in all, Race to Witch Mountain is an entertaining family movie. Kids surely will enjoy it, especially with such casts. Adults like me still find the movie enjoyable, but others might consider it ridiculous. Still the movie is a nice entertainment over the weekend for me.

You can get more information on Race to Witch Mountain from:
- IMDB: Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
- Official site of the movie

"Catch those aliens in white pijamas!"