La montagne ensorcelée

If aliens exist, and if they have access to the films made from Earth, they would likely make a mental note to remind themselves that should they visit our planet on terms other than a hostile takeover or annihilation, to avoid landing in the USA at all costs. Hollywood has enough dough to continuously churn out effects laden science-fiction movies, and most of them are big budgeted action fests like Independence Day and Men In Black, which don't exactly paint a good picture of the extra-terrestrials. Aliens who have more benign intent, would be frightened by how trigger happy and violence prone the US is toward illegal aliens, even if popular culture meant the landing zone for extra terrestrials is the USA and not other larger countries.

Race to Witch Mountain being Disney fare means the toning down of practically everything to ensure that it is safe for the entire family to experience together. Dwayne Johnson seems right at home in family friendly flicks like The Game Plan (also directed by Andy Fickman), and I guess his action days on screen will be few and far between, especially when he gets to flaunt his dramatic and comedic flair. Woe is the fan boy like me who have grown up with The Rock, but there's no more people's eyebrow, and we should start to get used to seeing our idol in a different light on celluloid.

Johnson plays a Las Vegas cab driver Jack Bruno who has a colourful past that he tries to bury, in order to earn an honest living to buy his dream Mustang featured in the Steve McQueen movie Bullit. In a confluence of the stars he picks up a scientist who specializes in extra terrestrials, before chancing onto two of them when they boarded his cab without his knowledge. The brother and ssister aliens – Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alenxander Ludwig) – are here on a noble mission, and are in hot pursuit by the shady government agents led by Henry Burke (Ciaran Hinds) as well as something like a Terminator from many light years away.

This naturally gives rise to your standard set action sequences where we get to see the alien twins exercise their rather innocent demeanour ("they're only kids!") to their advantage, behind which hides the immense powers they possess such as Telepathy and Density manipulation, which I thought was a very cool power to have. Imagine being able to pass through walls, yet having tremendous strength in the form of a road block, literally. AnnaSophia Robb whom I felt did a fantastic job in The Bridge to Terabithia, stars as the female child, and because of her character's ability, she brings forth a more trusting, and empathetic character, in direct contrast to the other alien Seth (The Seeker from The Dark is Rising is all grown up now), who's more direct, commanding, aloof and untrusting of humans in general, no doubt their initial experience was in having their space ship confiscated to Witch Mountain, and being chased for the conduct of experiments.

Carla Gugino, last seen as the aged Silk Spectre in Watchmen, got active only in the last third of the show, which was somewhat of a pity because she shared great chemistry with the rest of the cast, and got involved quite late into the thick of things. But of course if there's any consolation, like how the bits during the end credits would suggest, and depending on the box office results, there might be room for more in a sequel, if it comes.

There are references galore in the film given that there's a science-fiction convention event featured in the movie, and you can't help but also think about the potential for theme park rides with the yellow cab being pursued and pretty banged up. In fact I was wondering each time the cab got put through an action sequence, that it would make for a great 4D ride in Disneyland. You can't help it because it was quite in your face, with the sequences designed in that manner, deliberately or otherwise.

Despite some glaring plot loopholes, Race to Witch Mountain has all the ingredients for a great family outing. The story doesn't try to be more intellectual than it can handle, and doesn't let the special effects run wild and take over everything else. For being such a sentimental fool, the ending also got some brownie points from me, as it's tough not to shed a tear or two given the trials and tribulations from which a solid bond is formed amongst all the characters. Recommended for a family outing, but don't go expecting something out of this world (pun not intended), as everything's pretty formula.

I have nothing against remakes, and I had wanted to see Race to Witch Mountain for some time now. I think it is a decent movie, I do remember the original movie with fondness and feel it is a superior movie, however compared to other remakes I've seen like Psycho, Stepford Wives and Wicker Man Race to Witch Mountain is not a bad movie. It looks great visually, whether it is in the effects, the scenery, the cinematography or lighting. The soundtrack has some pleasing and memorable themes, direction is solid and the script while not award-worthy is good. The cast are fine, Dwayne Johnson carries the movie and he has so much charisma that it is a joy to watch him. AnnaSophia Robb once again proves herself a promising actress, and Ciaron Hinds is a fun villain. Only Carla Gugino disappoints, she's beautiful but her performance and character are dull and she and Johnson have no chemistry. The characters are on the stereotypical side particularly those of Gugino and Hinds, the pace is rather jerky in places and the story while having an appreciative nostalgia as well as a darkness the original didn't have I feel has a number of predictable spots. All in all, a decent if unexceptional family film. 6/10 Bethany Cox

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")

I liked the idea, that this is not a remake of the Disney classic Escape to Witch Mountain(1975), it's more of a rebooted version. Some remakes try to be carbon copies of the original, like Pyscho(1998), and The Bad News Bears(2005). This films premise is sort of the same but others ways different.

The story begins in Las Vegas, where Jack Bruno(Dwayne Johnson) is a cab driver, and is really not a people person. But one day things change, when two siblings named Seth(Alexander Ludwig) and Sara(Annasophia Robb) enter his cab ask him to drive to a certain location, and they give him large sums of money. Jack is hesitant, but does it anyway. But then things are not so simply, when the government starts chasing them. Turns out these kids are aliens with special powers, that need to get to a certain location called Witch Mountain in hopes to prevent an alien invasion that could destroy earth. And a famed scientist(Carla Gugino) comes along for the ride.

Now the moments between Dwayne and the kids are memorable. But the rest of the film kind of falls on itself. The action and effects where alright but nothing you'd call spectacular. Carla Gugino I felt by watching that she was written in at the last minute,cause they wanted a beautiful actress for Dwayne play off of, but Dwayne and Carla have no chemistry. And she does not look like she is having any fun doing this, she is just in it to cash a paycheck. And so was the rest of the cast, besides Dwayne and the kids. I didn't know when too laugh at times, I mean there times it was funny, other I couldn't tell at times if they where trying to be funny or serious for some scenes.

There was much complaining to be had when it was first announced this film was in the making. Understandably, fans of the previous two 'Witch Mountain' films were concerned that this was to be an unnecessary remake and a shoddy one, at that. However, 'Race to Witch Mountain' is not a remake but a sequel to the 1970s Disney films and, as someone who was worried themselves, I have to admit that it is actually quite a good film in its own right. The film begins with a space ship crash-landing on Earth, near Las Vegas, and agents of some sinister government group quickly work out that there were two occupants of the crash who are now on the run. It is then revealed that the two aliens are, in fact, fourteen-year-old siblings Sara and Seth who have psi abilities and have attached themselves to taxi driver Jack Bruno thus embroiling him in their adventure to allude the agents and an assassin from their own planet while retrieving an object that is the key to saving both their home and Earth. Along the way, the trio gain assistance from astrophysicist Alex Friedman and Junkyard the dog.

The teen leads AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig do a good job in portraying their roles as the young aliens who are more somber and restrained than typical human teenagers. They do well in both expressing this 'alien' awkwardness to their characters but differentiating themselves by the depiction of Sara as more empathic (in part, due to her telepathic skills) and open compared with Seth, the stand-offish sibling who initially doesn't trust humans. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who plays Jack Bruno, is actually a bit of a surprise to me in this film because he proves he can bring a sensitive nature to his character and do more than just look good and jump around in action-packed scenes. While he's not quite ready for a part in 'Schindler's List', he does stretch himself as an actor and prove he can do the paternal with a deeper emotional side role with some flair.

In terms of the actual storyline, 'Race to Witch Mountain' is quite dark compared to recent Disney films over the last decade or so and it is a refreshing change to find a Disney film that is actually aimed at most of the family rather than primary school kids and shallow teenagers. The characters are put in danger, they are hurt, they have guns aimed at them (well done to Disney for this rather than dumbing down a la Spielberg with his rubbish re-release of 'ET') and they are hunted by adults who are not nice and never will be nice, and this all makes for a film that can be enjoyed by everyone over five. In fact, this is a very good film for sci-fi fans to introduce their children/younger siblings to the genre since there is a lack of age appropriate science fiction films out there for children. What was also a huge positive to this film was the absolute lack of teeny booper romance, as if Disney realised that it is possible to have a film featuring teenagers who don't fall in 'love'.

There were a couple of negatives to the film. It may have 'Witch Mountain' in the title but it really does not have much connection to the previous films other than cameos from the two former child actors of the 1970s film and the inclusion of male and female siblings. Although that does not diminish that this film is enjoyable in the slightest, it just seems that there could have been at least some tie-in/homage to the prequels. The character of Alex Friedman should have contributed more to the plot or should not have been included since she seemed to be there just for the sake of it, added on as an after-thought to provide a female adult lead.

In all, 'Race to Witch Mountain' is good family/sci-fi lite film to catch over the Easter holidays and it certainly does not let down the 1970s films. It's a film that almost reminds me of the 'old days' (pre-2000) when Disney was good for producing worthwhile family flicks that did not condescend entirely to the nine to thirteen crowd and with characters that were likable rather than obnoxious or snotty adolescent brats.