My Take: Fast-paced and action-packed, but is neither exciting nor imaginative.
Perhaps the sincerest recommendation I can give RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN is that it wasn't as bad as it should have been. Loaded with action and chases, this amped-up remake of the Disney minor classic moves at a rapid pace, with maybe a few jokes thrown in by its star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but it is, at best, a well-crafted but uneven experience.
The original ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN wasn't exactly an immortal all-time classic that's being revered in the same way as STAR WARS, but there's very little reason to remake it other than to amp up the action level and provide a suitable vehicle for The Rock (who, after GAME PLAN, proved that he can be a bankable Disney lead). In a way, director Andy Fickman delivers a passable attempt to revive the 1975 original with The Rock playing Jack Bruno, a ex-con turned taxi driver who gets caught up with a pair of extraterrestrial siblings Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) who, like in the original, wish to head back to their spaceship while X-FILES-type government agents are in hot pursuit.
But instead of just another race atop the titular mountain, this remake also throws in a mostly-unseen assassin with more than a few similarities to PREDATOR. To give the race a little urgency, these two alien siblings have to get to their ship or else Earth will be invaded. These few, along with several chase sequences by beat-up cab or Winnebago, are among the few added frills in this admittedly stylish do-over. However, despite being a busy fast-paced adventure, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN never really comes off as exciting. Fickman is no action director, but he keeps the film alive with tons of chases and pyrotechnics as if it were a toned-down Michael Bay movie, but its more busy than thrilling. And with maybe a few elements borrowed from other sci-fi adventure movies, neither is it original or imaginative.
Regardless, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN might make a decent distraction for 98 minutes. The action is brisk and The Rock is appealing. Maybe someday Dwayne Johnson will be able to find a better material to showcase his superstar appeal.
Rating: **1/2 out of 5.
Perhaps the sincerest recommendation I can give RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN is that it wasn't as bad as it should have been. Loaded with action and chases, this amped-up remake of the Disney minor classic moves at a rapid pace, with maybe a few jokes thrown in by its star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but it is, at best, a well-crafted but uneven experience.
The original ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN wasn't exactly an immortal all-time classic that's being revered in the same way as STAR WARS, but there's very little reason to remake it other than to amp up the action level and provide a suitable vehicle for The Rock (who, after GAME PLAN, proved that he can be a bankable Disney lead). In a way, director Andy Fickman delivers a passable attempt to revive the 1975 original with The Rock playing Jack Bruno, a ex-con turned taxi driver who gets caught up with a pair of extraterrestrial siblings Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) who, like in the original, wish to head back to their spaceship while X-FILES-type government agents are in hot pursuit.
But instead of just another race atop the titular mountain, this remake also throws in a mostly-unseen assassin with more than a few similarities to PREDATOR. To give the race a little urgency, these two alien siblings have to get to their ship or else Earth will be invaded. These few, along with several chase sequences by beat-up cab or Winnebago, are among the few added frills in this admittedly stylish do-over. However, despite being a busy fast-paced adventure, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN never really comes off as exciting. Fickman is no action director, but he keeps the film alive with tons of chases and pyrotechnics as if it were a toned-down Michael Bay movie, but its more busy than thrilling. And with maybe a few elements borrowed from other sci-fi adventure movies, neither is it original or imaginative.
Regardless, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN might make a decent distraction for 98 minutes. The action is brisk and The Rock is appealing. Maybe someday Dwayne Johnson will be able to find a better material to showcase his superstar appeal.
Rating: **1/2 out of 5.