Race to Witch Mountain Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Race to Witch Mountain Blu-ray Movie Review

'Splosions abound in this somewhat soulless family-friendly actioner...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 22, 2009

As if the adoration of wrestling fans and action-movie junkies across the world wasn't enough, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been carving out a niche for himself as your kids' favorite actor. After hijacking The Disney Channel with a pair of guest spots on the incredibly popular Hannah Montana and the now defunct Corey in the House, the once-and-future People's Champion pushed The Game Plan to a 150-million dollar payday, helmed the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, and helped Disney's Race to Witch Mountain triple the combined box office take of its two previous Witch Mountain theatrical releases (the 1975 psuedo-classic, Escape from Witch Mountain, and its 1978 sequel, Return to Witch Mountain). But unlike other actors and comedians who've attempted to make similar transitions, the Rock doesn't seem to be grasping for a new fanbase. Instead, he strikes me as an entertainer who recognizes the all-ages accessibility of his infectious humor and charm; a guy who enjoys making people smile regardless of how young or old they might be.

What's the old adage about things that seem too good to be true? How about $15,000 for a cab ride?

Based as much on the 1968 Alexander Key novel as the Disney films that proceeded it, the Rock's latest foray into children's entertainment tells the tale of a Las Vegas cabdriver named Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) who agrees to help two somber teenagers -- Sara (Bridge to Terabithia's AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) -- for a hefty sum of cash. But as it turns out, the teenagers are actually extraterrestrial beings on the run from a group of relentless government agents and a genetically engineered interstellar assassin (Tom Woodruff). Before you can say "moral conflict," the reluctant cabbie has to choose between his own interests and those of the greater good. As he gets drawn deeper and deeper into their plight, Jack enlists the help of a scorned scientist named Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino), learns that his young passengers have special powers, and is forced to contend with a cold-hearted military man (Ciarán Hinds) hellbent on their capture.

While geared toward a younger audience (specifically, eight to twelve-year olds), Race to Witch Mountain packs enough action, suspense, and intrigue into its 98-minute frame for the whole family. The violence is largely of the bloodless variety, and the adventure itself is a slack-jawed, by-the-numbers romp that maims far more often than kills, but parents may be surprised by how much action is actually on tap. Car chases, vicious alien creatures, callous government blowhards, flashy explosions, and looming invasions populate the film, and most every scene involves some source of conflict. Perhaps that's why the story is such a letdown. For all the running, ducking, and mind-reading that occurs, it all feels lifeless. Blame it on the tempermental teens at the center of the chaos or the cookie cutter baddies in perpetual pursuit, but Johnson and Gugino's performances are the only things that inject some semblance of soul into the plot. That being said, two actors can only do so much. With a bland and banal script (that begs, borrows, and steals from every sci-fi classic you can think of), a convoluted backstory, and such an obvious endgame, the film fails to establish itself as anything other than a contrived, cliché-ridden family adventure.

I'm sure if my son was old enough to endure the film's slowest beats and dense exposition, he would have been bouncing off the walls, enraptured by the on-screen anarchy that frequents Race to Witch Mountain. However, he was too young to enjoy its wares, and I was too apathetic to its characters' struggles to invest much interest in their encounters. Johnson's patented antics are as enjoyable as ever, but there are far too many misfires in director Andy Fickman's vision and Matt Lopez and Mark Bomback's screenplay to earn an outright recommendation from me. If you have an eight to twelve-year old filmfan in your household, give Race to Witch Mountain some serious consideration. Otherwise, drop this in your Netflix queue and wait for a rainy day to see if it appeals to you.

Race to Witch Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Race to Witch Mountain features a decidedly decent, somewhat problematic 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that satisfies far more often than it disappoints. Greg Gardiner's palette is unexpectedly bland for the most part -- skintones are usually muddy, delineation ranges from unforgiving to impenetrable, and the darkest portions of the image fuse together to create amorphous black holes -- but contrast remains stable throughout the presentation. Even though the film's most ruthless shadows flatten the image on occasion, depth and overall dimensionality is nice and strong (particularly during daylit exterior shots, and scenes involving colorful alien encounters). Thankfully, fine detail is quite good, boasting enough well-defined edges and revealing textures to elevate the picture above its humdrum visuals. It helps that the transfer doesn't suffer from any significant artifacting, banding, or source noise. Noticeable edge enhancement and crush pop up from time to time, but rarely become major distractions. Ultimately, I was expecting more from a Disney release (seeing as the studio is responsible for some of the most stunning Blu-ray presentations on the market), but this able-bodied transfer should please fans of the film.

Race to Witch Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Race to Witch Mountain features a spry, at-times bombastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that captures the heightened intensity of the film's frequent chase scenes. Dialogue remains crisp and clear, leaving little to the imagination. A few quips get buried beneath the squeal of screeching tires and the rending metal of colliding cars, but every important whisper, exchange, and conversation is intelligible and well-prioritized in the mix. LFE output is commendable (albeit a tad overdone on occasion), infusing crashes and explosions with legitimate presence and impact. Rear speaker aggression is impressive as well, injecting plenty of convincing ambient effects and realistic acoustic properties into the track's immersive soundfield. Moreover, pans are smooth and dynamics are strong, both of which result in a proficient, somewhat refined presentation befitting a high definition release. Directionality is a bit too imprecise for my tastes -- the designers tend to overload each speaker with unkempt sound simply to emphasize how increasingly dangerous Jack's misadventures in babysitting are turning out to be -- but kids will still be suitably blown away by the sonic immediacy of it all. All things considered, A Race to Witch Mountain doesn't deliver the sort of top tier lossless track audiophiles crave, but it does serve up a solid effort that does a fine job with what it's been given.

Race to Witch Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Race to Witch Mountain may look like it has a lot to offer fans of the film but, in actuality, it doesn't include anything of substantial value. You'll find a rather repetitive collection of deleted scenes with director's introductions (SD, 23 minutes), an admittedly amusing batch of bloopers (SD, 4 minutes), and an exclusive "Backstage Disney" short (HD, 8 minutes) in which Fickman reveals his film's various references to Escape to Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain. For those looking for options, Disney's BD-50 disc also comes bundled with separate standard DVD and Digital Copy discs, but neither addition makes up for the set's underwhelming supplemental package.

Race to Witch Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Middle of the road, average, mediocre... whatever you want to call it, Race to Witch Mountain is a watery family adventure that doesn't pack the punch or pizazz of other genre favorites. Sadly, Disney's Blu-ray release is just as forgettable. With a decent but occasionally dull video transfer, a strong but overworked DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a minuscule supplemental package, there isn't a lot to justify this 3-disc set's high price point. My advice? Give it a rent and make sure someone in your family enjoys the film before considering a purchase.