“Race to Witch Mountain” skillfully mixes action, sci-fi & humor

Jim Hill

16 years ago

Let’s be honest here. The original “Witch Mountain” movies
weren’t exactly cinematic classics. But the trials of Tony & Tia really
struck a chord with audiences. Which is why – for almost 30 years now – The Walt
Disney Company has been trying to get some sort of sequel / follow-up film off the ground.

There was that pilot for a “Witch Mountain” TV series — “Beyond
Witch Mountain” – that Mickey produced for CBS back in 1982 (Interesting bit of
trivia here: The Studio persuaded Eddie Albert to come back and reprise his
role as grumpy RV driver Jason O’Day from 1975’s “Escape to Witch Mountain.”
And had this pilot actually been picked up, that “Green Acres” vet would have then
been a regular on this weekly television series).

And then there was that ABC Family Movie version of “Escape
to Witch Mountain” which aired on the Alphabet network back in 1995. Which the
Mouse also hoped to use as a way to launch a “Witch Mountain” TV series. Or so
I’ve been told.

And now comes “Race to Witch Mountain,” a modern-day reimagining
of Tony & Tia’s tale. So will the third time be the charm? Will The Walt Disney
Company finally get that “Witch Mountain” franchise that it’s been lusting
after for nearly three decades now? Based on the movie that I saw this past
Monday night, I’m pretty sure that they will.

You see, the people behind “Race to Witch Mountain” (i.e.
Director Andy Fickman, screenwriters Matt Lopez & Mark Bomback) made some
very smart choices. Starting with this film’s title sequence, which – through a
grainy montage of photographs, newspaper headlines and film clips – gives you
the Reader’s Digest version of America’s love affair / obsession with UFOs.

From there … Wham! We’re in Earth’s outer atmosphere as this
unidentified flying object comes rocketing in. We now cut to Burke (Ciarán
Hinds), the head of the super-secret government agency that monitors UFO
activity. As soon as this object impacts in the Nevada desert, he immediately
sends a team (via black helicopter, of course) investigate the crash site .

And there – barely sticking up out of the sand – is a UFO.
But more intriguing than that are those two sets of humanoid footprints that
lead away from the crash site. Who are these creatures and what are they now
doing on Earth? Burke is determined to
find out.

We now meet Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson), a down-on-his-luck
cab driver. Jack’s an ex-con who’s struggling to stay on the straight &
narrow as he ferries fares up and down the Las Vegas strip. But the bills have
been piling up. And Bruno’s old boss, Mr. Wolf, has been sending his goons
around, trying to pressure Jack into doing just one more job.

So what’s a guy supposed to do in a seemingly desperate situation
like that? Especially when Bruno glances in his rear view mirror one morning and
discovers that his formerly-empty cab now has two occupants, Seth (Alexander
Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb). Who
say overly-precise things like “You must travel in that direction. Latitude
40.5.”

Jack’s initially reluctant to go anywhere with these two
weird-sounding teens. But when Seth & Sara fork over a ridiculously large
wad of cash, Bruno overcomes his reservations and drives them out into the desert.
Only to then be pursued by a trio of black SUVs.

Jack thinks that those cars are being driven by Mr. Wolf and
his associates. But Sara & Seth know that it’s Burke and his team. Who will
stop at nothing in their pursuit of these extraterrestrials.

What follows is the first of several very intense action
scenes in “Race to Witch Mountain.” Where Bruno now uses his “The Transporter
” –like
driving skills in order to evade capture. While Seth … Well, what Seth does is
one of “Witch Mountain” ‘s visual effects tour de force.

I don’t want to say too much more about this film’s storyline.
Half the charm of “Race to Witch Mountain” is its right-out-of-left-field plot
turns. Which often find a clever or affectionate way to reference Disney’s earlier
“Witch Mountain” movies.

Speaking of which … I honestly have to give Fickman credit
for the way he uses Iake Eissinmann & Kim Richards (i.e. the original Tony
& Tia) in “Race to Witch Mountain.” He doesn’t just stick these former child
stars with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-them cameo. Eissinmann & Richards are
given real characters to play. In fact, Iake & Kim play crucial roles in
the middle of this motion picture. They (SPOILERS AHEAD) actually help Seth
& Sara escape from Burke’s clutches.

FYI … Eissinmann & Richards aren’t the only former
Disney child stars who put in appearances in “Race to Witch Mountain.” Be sure
and keep an eye out for Natalie Gann, that on-the-scene reporter who appears in
the first 10 minutes of this movie. Does this actress look familiar? She
should. It’s Meredith Salenger, the star of Walt Disney Picture’s 1985 release,
“The Journey of Natty Gann
.”

So is “Race to Witch Mountain” a perfect movie? Nah. Its
last half hour or so is rather shaky, as the filmmakers race for the curtain
and hope that you don’t notice all of the plot holes that Jack, Seth & Sara
encounter along the way.

But that said, “Race for Witch Mountain” is still a skillful
mix of sci-fi, action and comedy. There’s something in this film for every
member of the family. Which is why this Andy Fickman movie is sure to make
beaucoup bucks at the box office this coming weekend. Not to mention all of the
coin that this “Witch Mountain” reimagining will haul in once it’s released on DVD
later this summer.

But from the Studio’s point of view, the most important part
of this equation is that Fickman went out of his way to set up a sequel. And given the winning performance that Dwayne
Johnson turns in (this former wrestler is equally adept when it comes to
delivering punches & punch lines), I’d imagine that – a year or so from now
– there’ll be plenty of moviegoers out
there who’ll be eager to join Jack Bruno on a return trip to “Witch Mountain.”

Your thoughts?