Movie Mama Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommended For: Elementary school age and above
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ciaran Hinds, Anna-Sophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino
Directed By: Andy Fickman
Running Time: 1 hr. 40 min.
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements.
Genre: Family/Action

Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) is an ex-convict turned taxi cab driver, trying to turn his life around and walk the straight and narrow. He finds himself thrown into an encounter with two strange teenagers, Sara (Anna-Sophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig), who request a ride. But as soon as Jack takes the fare, his life turns into a blur of car chases, shoot-outs, and explosions. When Jack finds out the truth, that Sara and Seth are aliens trying to return to their home planet, he must decide whether or not to risk his life to help them.

The beginning of Race to Witch Mountain will trick you into thinking it's not a family film. Shots of UFO sightings coupled with realistic media and political coverage give the feel of a true action flick, which will make parents sit up and take notice. However, it might seem too real and unsettling for younger children who would be frightened by the idea that aliens are real and visit our planet on a regular basis. Regardless, Race to Witch Mountain is very much a family film--great for mom, dad, daughter, and son. Most of the action scenes seem to have come straight out of a summer blockbuster, especially with Dwayne Johnson in the lead. There are a few phony, old-school stage effects, and the cinematography seems immature at times. If parents can look past these faults, as well as a few instances of awkward acting and dialogue, they may be just as entertained as the kiddos.

As far as acting, Dwayne Johnson is better than I expected. Anna-Sophia Robb (Because of Winn-Dixie, Bridge to Terebithia) is excellent, like always. Alexander Ludwig does a great job, much better than his role in The Seeker. Even Carla Gugino surprised me. After the Spy Kids franchise, I had begun to wonder if she had any talent at all. Apparently she does--she just needs the right part.

PROS

Even though Jack Bruno's involvement with Sara and Seth is fueled by curiosity at first, he grows so fond of them that he becomes their protector, almost like a father figure, and does whatever he can to save them. His love for them is quite touching.

Sara and Seth believe they cannot trust any human, but learn to love and trust Jack, as well as Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino).

When Sara and Seth learn what humans think about aliens, they are surprised by such erroneous judgements. For all our science and intelligence, this made me contemplate about the vast amount of knowledge we have yet to obtain. There is so little we know about our world, so little we still do not understand. This goes for environmental things, as well as relationships with others. Take a moment to talk to your kids about false judgements and intolerances toward others. Perhaps they have made a wrong judgement about someone in their class. What did they assume about that person and why? What happened to change their mind? Was it surprising to find that the person was nothing like they expected? Family films, while not the most entertaining genre, can open a plethora of doors for conversing with your kids.

CONS

Besides the obvious action scenes, full of scary explosions, frightening car chases (Jack, Sara, and Seth almost collide head-on with a train), and gunfire, there is very little to complain about in Race to Witch Mountain. When Sara and Seth open a secret passage through an old refrigerator, Jack comments to himself, "Don't go in the pimped-out fridge." Most of the film is based in Las Vegas, so there is a general atmosphere of gambling. When the Siphon character, who is an alien out to kill Sara and Seth, loses his helmet, his disfigured "face" may frighten young ones.

Other than that, the only thing that I personally had issue with was the amount of collateral damage during several sprees of destruction caused by the story's heros. While this is common in most action movies, I feel it should be left out of family films as much as possible. However, you could use this as another topic starter for your kids. Remind them that every action has a consequence. We can't always speed away in a taxi cab, never to look back.

OVERALL

If you must go to the theater, Race to Witch Mountain is a surprisingly entertaining action film for the whole family, but best reserved for DVD rental.