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 RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO + DIGITAL COPY) |
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| Featuring: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds |
| Director: Andy Fickman |
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Distributor: Walt Disney Video |
| DVD release: 04 August 2009 |
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Runtime: 99 min.
(3 discs) |
| Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: 1080p High Definition, Aspect ratio 2.35:1, Audio tracks (English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - French, Spanish, Thai, Portugese), Subtitles (English, French, Spanish, Portugese, Thai, Korean, Bahasa, Malay), Deleted scenes (w/commentary by dir. Andy Fickman). Bloopers, Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-rayT Is Suite!, Learn How To Take Your Favorite Movies On The Go, BACKSTAGE DISNEY: Which Mountain?, D-Box |
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When I was a child, Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) was one of my favorite movies. Even though Race to Witch Mountain is geared toward a young audience, I was excited to see if Disney paid homage to the original (and the fabulous Alexander Key book that inspired it) that started it all. For the most part, they succeeded.
Jack Bruno (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is a Las Vegas taxi driver going nowhere fast. He hates his job and is forever being hounded by bad guys to go back to his former ways. One night, a spacecraft crash-lands on Earth, and two alien kids - Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) - are charged with gathering information about Earth that will save both their planet and ours. They get into Jack Bruno's cab (yes, they call him Jack Bruno, the name on his hack license, throughout the movie) and pay him a very large roll of cash to take them into the middle of the desert. Along the way, they are chased by government agents who have found the spaceship and are looking for the aliens who were aboard. They meet alien-believer Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino), who helps them on their quest as well. To make matters worse, the government isn't the only thing trying to find the ragtag group. An alien named Siphon would like nothing better than to kill everyone involved.
The loads of great special effects will appeal to the younger audience. Unfortunately, the plot is pretty thin, but my kids didn't mind at all. It's high-tension action most of the way through, with very few chances to catch your breath. The acting is decent for the vehicle provided, and the combo pack, including a Blu-ray disc, a regular DVD, and a digital copy, is fabulous for those who want the Blu-ray but also want to watch the movie in other places.
The picture quality, as with most Blu-ray releases, is excellent. The special effects and graphics, especially during the chase scenes and the ultimate climax scenes, are fantastic. Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards, young aliens Tony and Tia from the original films, make appearances in the updated version for nostalgic viewers. An extra featurette on the Blu-ray shows the homage paid to the previous movies in Race to Witch Mountain. I loved this short; it brought back many fond memories and made me glad that my own children have something similar in their childhoods to enjoy.
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