Race to Witch Mountain

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: March 13, 2009

6.0	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 82 Ratings

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User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

RonaldMMar 13, 2009

Liked it very much. Dwayne Johnson did fairly well in this one. Was liked by entire family.

2 of 2 users found this helpful

JohnKristoferMay 9, 2015

This Movie is for the whole family nothing really interesting going in the movie.I enjoyed the movie with my family but the movie has a weak plot.The movie is fun to the whole family but not everyone would love it.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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HyperSAug 16, 2009

Relentless, excessive, noisy. 10% normal dialogue, 80% action sequences, and 10% action dialogue. Yes, the director forcefully tries to make even dialogue scenes an action sequence (most notably all military personnel scenes). I.e. Fast Relentless, excessive, noisy. 10% normal dialogue, 80% action sequences, and 10% action dialogue. Yes, the director forcefully tries to make even dialogue scenes an action sequence (most notably all military personnel scenes). I.e. Fast paced rock music in the background, unnecessary over-the-top spastic dialogue, cliche acting and intentions, and the convenience of "God Technology" where two people can know anything and everything in under 10 seconds (director's notion of story-telling). The two kids and Dwayne Johnson played their roles fine along with other (non-military) supporting cast. Despite the heavy emphasis on action (which I thought was a little annoying) there was still enough here to warrant at least a 5.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful

ChadS.Mar 14, 2009

Two stormtroopers get into a cab; two grown men all decked out for a space expo. Apart from setting off my internal Triumph the Comic Insult Dog alarm, this throwaway visual is loaded in semiotic connotations. A certain breed of moviegoer Two stormtroopers get into a cab; two grown men all decked out for a space expo. Apart from setting off my internal Triumph the Comic Insult Dog alarm, this throwaway visual is loaded in semiotic connotations. A certain breed of moviegoer will recognize the historicism inherent in the allocation of the costumed men and cabbie. Armed with prop guns, the underlying subtext of the scene can be construed as "Star Wars" coming to snuff out "Taxi Driver". In other words, this unremarkable scene is enhanced by a filmic metaphor that explicates on how special-effects driven films consigned the sort of personal filmmaking practiced by directors of Martin Scorsese's ilk to a post-Skywalker grave. When Travis Bickle was tormented with insomnia, he put himself on the night shift; whereas Jack Bruno(Dwayne Johnson), while working the heavy bag("Rocky" thrown into sharp relief from the Scorsese classic), declares that he can't sleep, agrees to the long fare(albeit the next day) proposed by two juvenille humanoids as a means of burning off restless energy. A joyless affair such as "Race to Witch Mountain" is just one more progeny from the teat of a certain shark, that heralded the birth of the summer blockbuster, in which an emphasis on spectacle leaves storytelling and character development in the dust. For starters, at some point, shouldn't the taxi driver tell the kids that its "just Jack"(not the too formal Jack Bruno), like the Sean Hayes character on "Will and Grace". "Race to Witch Mountain" spends nary a moment on developing a bond between Jack and the "kids"(following "Starman" as an example, the human should humanize the alien) that would justify the "E.T."-like tears during their overblown parting. To its credit, however, the film has a self-awareness of its own disposability, a la "Mystery Men", when Janeane Garafolo said, "I would like to dedicate my victory to support...those who seek out independent films," has a mainstream film gazed at its own navel and critiqued itself. After Sara(AnnaSophia Robb) tells Jack that humans have the potential to levitate small objects, too; she says, "You humans haven't learned to use your brains to full capacity." True to its word, a film such as "Race to Witch Mountain" won't teach humans to use their brains to full capacity, and maybe Sara's observation was a subversive act of honest authorial commentary.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

sil3nt_nickMar 27, 2013

The movie had good actors, the soon to be Hunger Games villain, Alexander Ludwig and well-known AnnaSophia Robb with Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino. Despite the acting talents, the story was boring.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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PTMay 30, 2009

Story was involving enough. Attractive, likable cast. Plenty of action, in fact, the most intense action and violence I've seen in any Disney film. The only flaw for me was the hand-held-camera style in some of the scenes, although some Story was involving enough. Attractive, likable cast. Plenty of action, in fact, the most intense action and violence I've seen in any Disney film. The only flaw for me was the hand-held-camera style in some of the scenes, although some people seem to like that, On the whole, entertaining.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

BadMr.Frosty93Mar 13, 2009

Some of these critics need to find a new job cause they don't know a good movie when they see one !

0 of 0 users found this helpful

DanielMMar 20, 2009

Parts of the movie was rather good, but other parts of it was laughable. I mean one of those men have got to get some serious acting training, the kids don't help either. Of course the suspense was good enough for this movie, and it was Parts of the movie was rather good, but other parts of it was laughable. I mean one of those men have got to get some serious acting training, the kids don't help either. Of course the suspense was good enough for this movie, and it was still likable for some people.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

MonteMMar 15, 2009

Fast action from the beginning, which is good for a family film, since children often become bored by too long of a slow moving character setup period. Dwayne Johnson does a great job of being a likeable tough guy for family films.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

FantasyMar 20, 2009

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has that appeal like Will Smith. This is a family movie that everyone will enjoy. Just enough scary things to make it PG. A nice way for a family to spend some quality time together.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

TeeWMar 23, 2009

I thought this was a really good movie. Maybe a bit much for smaller children but a good date movie or for tweens. How can you go wrong with The Rock on the screen!?!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

JayHJul 26, 2009

In spite of many "Disneyisms", it's an entertaining movie. Great pace, good special effects and score. Dwayne Johnson is good. Fun, it always held my interest.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

BadTVAddictMar 15, 2009

Much better than I expected. Sort of Borne Ultimatum for 10 yo boys. The 10 yo I had sitting next to me loved it. I was not bored, but want to see the original again to compare the times.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

TDKinDallasMar 15, 2009

Definitely for kids. I went in knowing it was gonna be stupid, but I was hoping for a little better than this. Escape to Witch Mountain was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid and it was a stupid movie too, but it had that Disney Definitely for kids. I went in knowing it was gonna be stupid, but I was hoping for a little better than this. Escape to Witch Mountain was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid and it was a stupid movie too, but it had that Disney magic. I hope that this movie has the kind of magic for today's kids that made me love the original so much when I was a kid, but I just didn't feel it and/or maybe I can't tell anymore. I probably should have re-watched the original first. Good luck.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

EricBMar 29, 2009

It's the usual alien government conspiracy story, but with a new sense of humor and charm. Unfortunately, it fails to be original.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

smijatovJan 22, 2012

While it surely is entertaining, the film is not very good. It provides for action, and plenty of it. It is mostly good enough action, but nothing one hasn't seen before. The story is somewhat intriguing, but ultimately rather flat andWhile it surely is entertaining, the film is not very good. It provides for action, and plenty of it. It is mostly good enough action, but nothing one hasn't seen before. The story is somewhat intriguing, but ultimately rather flat and obviously cannot survive on its own without the action sequences. The effects were not quite as good as I hoped, and the acting was rather bad. I have to point out that Dwayne Johnson was atrocious in his attempt to act. The kids were much better, though they were no stars either. I don't know, it was entertaining but it was a typical Disney film that did not provide for anything that would make you even scratch your head and think, let along challenge anything. The villains are hyper-villains, the good guys are good, and The Rock is a good cabbie, who happens to be able to kick ass... ah, when unrealistic things are annoying me in a film about aliens, you know something's wrong. But, I guess it's ultimately worth for the action... or is it?… Expand