RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN is a fun sci-fi adventure film.  It reminds me more of the old Disney films mixed in with the types of sci-fi adventure films made today.   It is a step ahead of the original WITCH MOUNTAIN films (which basically amounted to two kids left on Earth and criminals trying to use them for their own personal gain).  At least, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN has a real threat to it.   The two teenage alien kids from another planet need help to save their world and ours from their world’s military.  However, the military has sent a lethal assassin to stop them and the US military wants to capture (and dissect) them.  Their only ally is cab driver Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) who is trying to stay clean of the criminal life and live straight.  He has the hots for an astrophysicist (Carla Gugino) who is visiting the local Las Vegas UFO convention.   The film has clichés, but it does play with them while pushing the action forward.     Ciarin Hinds makes a nice sinister government type.    It is a good way to spend 90 minutes.  I do wish the film did better at the box office because I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel.  Dwayne Johnson should do more sci-fi films like this one.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

No making-of featurettes are on the DVD or director audio commentary.  All we get are eight deleted scenes and a blooper reel (which is a blooper/ stunt reel).  The deleted scenes have introductions by the director on why they were cut.   Three scenes were cut because they were too comedic.   A couple of short scenes should have stayed in.  the original goodbye is too emotional and drags while the alternate ending seems cooler than what we got during the movie’s end credits.

The 2-disc DVD and the Blu-Ray/ DVD combo have a digital copy of the film while the Blu-Ray also has an additional featurette pointing out the nods to the original films.

FINAL ANALYSIS:   RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN is a fun and fast sci-fi action adventure.

This DVD review is (c)7-31-2009 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com