Nostalgia can be a movie lover’s best friend and worst enemy. Our fond memories can be a source of pleasant reflection, but sometimes our affection for a film can taint our judgment of its sequel or its too often inevitable remake.
While it’s true that many sequels don’t measure up to their illustrious forbearer, and that most remakes either miss the point of the original incarnation or devolve into an inferior shot-for-shot rehash of material that was once fresh and novel, sometimes a sequel or a remake can actually surpass the original in terms of quality and entertainment.
Race to Witch Mountain is difficult to define. It’s not really a remake and it’s not exactly a sequel. Instead, it’s a re-imagining of Disney’s 1975 adaptation of Alexander Key’s science fiction novel, Escape to Witch Mountain. In an interview with MTV News, director Andy Fickman explained that while his new film exists within the same universe as the original, it’s more than a simple remake. Race to Witch Mountain draws from some of the darker aspects of Key’s novel and it lays out a much more intense journey for its heroes.
However you choose to define it, Race to Witch Mountain is in all ways superior to the 1975 film. Though many young parents may remember the film fondly, the harsher light of adult viewing reveals Escape to Witch Mountain to be poorly plotted, adorned with laughable special effects (even for the time), and burdened with wooden performances, stilted dialogue, and a script that telegraphs every emotional punch. Thankfully, the new film, while still not a masterpiece, is much more sophisticated and entertaining.
Many of the plot points in this 2009 version mirror the 1975 original. A young girl and her protective older brother (this time Sara and Seth instead of Tia and Tony) - each gifted with paranormal powers - come to rely on the help of a stranger (this time a prickly, but good-hearted ex-con instead of a curmudgeonly, but tender-hearted widower) as they desperately attempt to evade the relentless pursuit of ruthless villains (now federal agents instead of nefarious businessmen) bent on exploiting their power. In the original film, the children’s origin remains a mystery until the final act. This time, however, their extra-terrestrial identity is quickly revealed and forms the nucleus of the narrative.
After crash landing in the Nevada desert, Seth and Sara (Alexander Ludwig and AnnaSophia Robb), the children of alien scientists wrongfully imprisoned on their home planet, set out in search of an artifact that will save their planet and clear their parents’ name. They meet Jack Bruno (The Rock – Sorry, I mean, Dwayne Johnson), a Las Vegas cab driver who is struggling with guilt over his criminal past and is determined to take the right path in life, even if it is harder than the wrong one.
Though he is initially reluctant to get involved, Jack’s conscience won’t allow him to leave the children to their fate. Pursued by determined government agents and an intergalactic assassin, the trio enlists the help of a scientist and UFO enthusiast (Carla Gugino) as they race against time to save the alien planet and spare Earth from certain invasion.
I was surprised to find that Race to Witch Mountain is a better action film than it is a comedy. Many of the action sequences, particularly in the first half of the movie, are genuinely intense and entertaining, while too many of the film’s lighter bits (with the exception of a couple of scenes featuring a pair of Star Wars fanboys dressed as Imperial storm troopers) miss their cues entirely and, sadly, fall flat. I was particularly disappointed in Dwayne Johnson’s performance.
I really enjoyed his comedic turn in last year’s Get Smart, but here, his timing is off and his line readings seem unnaturally strained. It may be that Johnson is a more gifted physical comedian (which makes sense given his background in professional wrestling) and that the script doesn’t give him the chance to flex his slapstick muscles.
But Johnson is still a likeable guy, and he can successfully carry a film – particularly one that doesn’t demand too much from its audience. Ludwig and Robb are gifted young actors and they are much more enjoyable to watch than their counterparts in the original film. Seth’s jaded attitude and adolescent sarcasm annoyed me, but it’s balanced by Sara’s quiet calm and kind demeanor. Robb and Johnson share a touching father-daughter chemistry that gives the film much more emotional heft than it probably deserves.
In contrast to the much slower 1975 film, Race to Witch Mountain hits the ground running. The movie opens as Seth and Sara’s spacecraft crashes into the desert. Government agents pick up the crash on radar and immediately begin utilizing high tech surveillance equipment and spy satellites to track the children. Using the same sort of kinetic framing, quick editing, and synthesized musical score featured in the Bourne films, director Andy Fickman infuses these early scenes with a surprisingly breathless energy.
There’s a smartly executed car chase in the first twenty minutes, but, unfortunately, the film descends downhill from that point. Though there are brighter moments sprinkled here and there (like a suspenseful chase sequence in a train tunnel and a tense standoff at a country diner), the movie continues to unravel from this early peak before it runs completely off the rails during a ridiculous scene that prominently features a horrendously unrealistic special effects shot. Though the special effects throughout the film are a mixed bag, this final set piece looks almost as bad as something from a Sci Fi Channel original movie.
The weakest element of the film is the intergalactic assassin known as the Sipher. This alien soldier, bred to kill, has been sent to track down the children and eliminate them. The Sipher is kind of like the Terminator, except the hard metal skeleton is on the outside protecting a soft, chewy center. Initially, the Sipher is kept in the shadows and we aren’t allowed a clear view of him. If the filmmakers had kept it that way, it might have worked, but, unfortunately, once the Sipher is revealed in all his glory, he looks like nothing more than a deranged Power Ranger. It’s probably just as well since he isn’t given much to do except show up occasionally, smack the Rock around a little bit, and shoot fireworks out of his arms.
On a positive note, most families can relax and enjoy Race to Witch Mountain without worrying about objectionable content. There is no sex and no bad language. Some young children may find the Sipher frightening, particularly once he is unmasked. Violence is frequent and abundant, and some of it, while not graphic, can be intense. There are numerous fistfights (a lot of agents get to smell what the Rock is cooking) and one big shootout at the end, but only one death is depicted onscreen, and it is not particularly explicit or disturbing.
While the film preaches a political subtext that some parents may not appreciate, it does celebrate such worthy themes as the sanctity of life, individual responsibility, forgiveness, trust, loyalty, self-sacrifice, and redemption. It is also heavily suggested that events do not simply happen at random, but are guided, either by fate or by an omniscient hand.
I like to complain a lot (I am a critic after all), but ultimately, I enjoyed Race to Witch Mountain much more than I anticipated. It’s not a great movie, but it has a lot of guts and good heart. Despite its flaws, Race to Witch Mountain is a fun and thrilling ride that will prove a pleasant surprise to parents and an enthralling adventure for kids.
Caution Rating: 3.5
