Groundbreaking? No. Fun? Yes.: 'Race to Witch Mountain' a nice alternative for moviegoers
'Race to Witch Mountain'
Walt Disney Pictures
1 hour, 38 minutes
It's been a dark few weeks, as far as movie-going goes. Brooding drama, excessive violence, and mass-murder can get you down after a while, especially in the dead of winter.
This week offered two choices as far as new movies here on the peninsula. On the one hand I could go see "Last House on the Left" about some brutal murderers who are brutally murdered by some peopled whom they had brutalized. Hmmm.
Or, I could go see the candy-colored Disney remake of a 1975 sci-fi kiddie flick. And, it stars the Rock (sorry, Dwayne Johnson, now that he's gone all respectable). OK, so it's not going to win any Oscars, but at least no one's head's getting cleaved. Off to "Witch Mountain" I go.
"Race to Witch Mountain" is a loose retelling of the earlier "Escape to Witch Mountain," a movie that I remember seeing as a child and loving dearly, though when I walked into the theatre this weekend I couldn't have told you one thing about. I feel like the original film kept its secrets close to the vest, but in this spoiler-laden new millennium, the advertising puts it right out there: two alien children have crash-landed their flying saucer here on earth and are on the run from shadowy government enforcers bent on nabbing them and dissecting them like lab rats.
Well, not literally; this is a Disney movie, after all. The kids in question, Sara and Seth, make their way from the crash-site in the Nevada desert to Vegas where they pile into a cab and demand to be taken miles into the wasteland to an undisclosed location. The driver, Jack Bruno (how is that name better than The Rock?) is suspicious, but when the kids flash a wad of cash, he's in. Little does he know what he's in for. What follows is an exciting, action-filled, though mostly nonsensical, chase through the wilds of Nevada, one step ahead of the G-men, the mob, and an interstellar assassin, and one step closer to the way home.
"Race to Witch Mountain" is one of those movies that you leave the theatre saying, "Well, that was cute," and think little more about it. I imagine that my parents probably had the same reaction to the original "Escape," despite my reverence. Were I 10 years old again, I'd probably be lining up to go in and see "Race" a second time, all the while scheming up a way of getting the "Witch Mountain" action figures sometime before next December. That tells me that, though this current film isn't particularly well written and has more plot holes than a cemetery, it's probably hitting it's target audience right between the eyes.
Sure, it's easy to cringe at the dialogue and lack of consistent characterization, especially with Bruno who seems entirely at ease with the discovery of lush tropical cavern full of glowing, pulsing alien seed pods, but is completely flabbergasted when Sara levitates his pocket change. It's more fun, however, to just sit back and let the silliness wash over you. There are plenty of enjoyable moments, especially when you surrender your more critical sensibilities.
Carla Gugino, wearing far more clothes than she did in last week's "Watchmen," is a nice addition to the cast as the resident authority on all things scientific, and Garry Marshall has a funny turn as a UFO conspiracy theorist. My favorite performer, however, was little AnnaSophia Robb, as Sara. I don't know that her performance was any better or worse than anyone else's, but she sure was adorable.
Even though I can't, with a straight face, call "Witch Mountain" a great piece of cinema, I can say one thing: It was a nice, inoffensive hour-and-a-half outing that didn't make me feel like I'd been hit over the head with a sock full of nickels.
Sure, the heavy stuff has it's merits, and if I had to watch this "Race" every week I'd probably want to jump off of Witch Mountain, but for this week, a little light-hearted adventure was just the escape I was looking for.
Grade: B-
Returning to the American Film Institute Best 100 List after a brief hiatus, I'd like to recommend Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" from 1936. To be honest, I wasn't, at first, a big fan of the Chaplin films on the list, probably because I started with "City Lights." Though it's considered one of Chaplin's best, I found it kind of a bore.
"Times" on the other hand, is amazing. The physical comedy is hilarious, and it's especially interesting to see Chaplin's criticism of both capitalism and the worker's revolution, a movement he skewers as well, though he did have Communist sympathies. One scene in particular to watch for is the factory floor conveyor belt, a gag that has inspired many a comedian, most notably Lucille Ball.
"Modern Times" is a brilliant and uproarious satire that hasn't yet gone out of style.
Grade: A
"Race to Witch Mountain" is rated PG for some violence and a few scares. "Modern Times" is unrated.
Chris Jenness is a freelance graphic designer, artist and movie buff who lives in Nikiski.