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"RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN" (2009) (Dwayne Johnson, Annasophia Robb) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Minor Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Heavy None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence None None Minor Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Action/Adventure: A Las Vegas cabbie discovers that his two young passengers are actually aliens from another world and must protect the kids from government agents and an alien assassin who want to capture and/or kill them. PLOT: Jack Bruno (DWAYNE JOHNSON) is an ex-con who now works as a cabbie in Vegas. After handling some goons that work for a crime boss who has a connection to him, Jack is surprised to find teens Sara (ANNASOPHIA ROBB) and Seth (ALEXANDER LUDWIG) in his backseat with a wad of cash and a desire to be driven into the desert. He's reluctant, but the money looks good, so he proceeds, only to then be pursued by Department of Defense official Henry Burke (CIARÁN HINDS), and his subordinates Matheson (TOM EVERETT SCOTT) and Pope (CHRIS MARQUETTE), among other feds, who want the kids. And that's not because they're juvenile delinquents are runaways, but rather extraterrestrials who've crash-landed on Earth. That's a surprise to Jack who initially thinks their pursuers work for the crime boss, but once the kids demonstrate their paranormal powers, he's a believer. Despite his instincts telling him otherwise, Jack decides to protect the kids, and eventually enlists the aid of Dr. Alex Friedman (CARLA GUGINO), a failed astrophysicist who's speaking at a UFO convention, as well as UFO author Dr. Donald Harlan (GARRY MARSHALL). As they try to get the kids back to their ship before it's too late, they must not only contend with Burke and his armed feds who are always one step behind them, but also with the alien assassin Siphon (TOM WOODRUFF, JR.) who wants to kill the kids before they complete their mission on Earth. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? It's unlikely many will be familiar with the original films, but the ads that show a mixture of comedy and action might draw in some, while fans of anyone in the cast might also be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DWAYNE JOHNSON plays an ex-con who now drives a cab in Vegas, but doesn't seem happy with his life. Part of that's due to dealing with two thugs who work for a crime boss with a connection to Jack. He also reluctantly decides to protect the two kids who suddenly show up in his cab and turn out to be extraterrestrials pursued by Burke and his government forces. He fights with them, as well as the alien Siphon assassin while trying to keep the kids out of harm's way. ANNASOPHIA ROBB plays one of those aliens -- in the guise of a teenage girl with telepathic and telekinetic powers -- who needs to complete a mission on Earth but must contend with Burke, the Siphon and others who want to stop them. ALEXANDER LUDWIG plays her brother -- in the guise of a teenage boy -- who's on the same mission with the same predicaments and obstacles. He can also alter the molecular density of his body. CARLA GUGINO plays a failed astrophysicist who now speaks at UFO conventions and such about extraterrestrials. She ends up being caught up in Jack's quest to protect the kids and get them back to their ship. CIARÁN HINDS plays the lead government official who only wants to capture and interrogate the aliens and isn't happy that Jack's interfering with that plan. TOM EVERETT SCOTT and CHRIS MARQUETTE play two of his subordinates, with the latter being a rookie who's mainly concerned with not having his own gun. TOM WOODRUFF, JR. plays the alien assassin whose quest is to kill Sara and Seth before they accomplish their goal. GARRY MARSHALL plays an author about UFOs and such who aides Jack and Alex. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this action/adventure film that's been rated PG. While there's no profanity, some colorful phrases are present. There's a surprising amount of weapon related violence (including with the intent to kill) for a film with this rating. While only an alien assassin is killed, shots, lasers and such are fired at various characters, while fairly hard fighting and the striking of others occurs in various scenes. Some of those scenes and various moments of potential peril might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary for the youngest of viewers, but probably few others. Various bad attitudes are present (including that involving wanting to capture and/or kill the alien kids), while some of the action and stunts might be enticing for some kids to try to copy. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (sometimes fairly bouncy) throughout the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE We see some sort of plant life that has a glowing and pulsating nature, and Sara puts her hand and part of her arm down into the goo of one such pod (to retrieve something). Sara says the dog with them needs to relieve itself, but Jack doesn't want to stop. We next see the dog running back to the cab, apparently after having done so off camera. Jack has a slight scrape on his temple after fighting various people. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Burke and his subordinates are made out to be the story's villains, government agents who want to capture the kids. Those opposed to the notion of paranormal powers should note that both kids possess them. Some goons - working for a never-seen crime boss - repeatedly harass Jack. The Siphon is an assassin out to kill the kids. We hear that Jack was in and out of "juvi" as a kid, and recently spent time in prison for grand theft auto. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers but probably few others. For those unsettled and/or scared by the thought of UFOs and such, much of the film revolves around that, while the opening credits include various photos of alleged UFOs. Government officials slowly walk toward the spaceship crash site, guns at the ready. Burke reminds his subordinates that Sara and Seth aren't children or human. That might scare younger kids, but when we see the two, they look like regular teens. Jack drops the kids off at a remote cabin in the desert, hears the sound of something breaking inside, and against his better judgment, slowly walks in to investigate. As the light suddenly shifts in the dark cabin, we see the Siphon standing behind Jack, but it's then gone. Jack then finds the kids and follows them through various tunnels leading down below the cabin. After finding some plant life there, they hear sounds and run and hide. Jack then hits the Siphon with a baseball bat, but the alien backhands him, sending Jack flying through the air. The Siphon then uses a weapon on its armored arm to blast an orb, and then does so again, causing a fire that spreads through the room. The Siphon then grabs Sara and backhands Seth away, with Jack then tackling the alien. A blob of energy then hits the Siphon, allowing the three to escape, but the Siphon fires another such blob through the tunnel just as Seth closes the entrance. The resulting explosion knocks Seth back, injuring him. Jack then picks him up and he and Sara race out and into the cab, avoiding eruptions of fire from the ground that pop up all around them. A spaceship fires at Jack's cab, sending it off the road and crashing through brush as it careens down a hill. The pursuit continues, with Jack hiding the cab in a railroad tunnel, with the spaceship's search lights nearly finding them in the tunnel. After it leaves, they drive along the railroad tracks, only to have the spaceship fire at them again, hitting near the back of a cab as well as blasting the railroad bridge they're on. They drive into another tunnel, only to have the spaceship pursue them in there. As they race toward the other end, a train approaches from that side, and they barely get out just as the train enters the tunnel where it crashes into the spaceship, resulting in a big explosion. The back of the train then derails, with a car flying over and barely missing Jack's cab. Jack and the kids see the spaceship coming at them again, but Jack's cab won't start. They panic, but then realize that it's just a semi approaching and then passing them. After Jack and the kids stop in a restaurant, the feds arrive and surround the place, with guns drawn. After Jack alerts the local sheriff of armed men arriving, a waitress shows Jack and the kids a way out, while Burke and his men come in and pull their guns. That causes the law as well as various locals to pull their guns on them, resulting in a standoff (where machine guns, handguns and shotguns are aimed at various people). A menacing dog confronts Jack who shields his face as it lunges at him, but he then sees that it's stopped as is being friendly for Sara. We hear that the kids' planet is dying from an un-breathable atmosphere and that they're experimenting with plant life on Earth to take back to their planet to resuscitate it. But we also hear that their planet's military would rather conquer Earth, and thus the kids are racing against time to get their ship back and return to their planet to report their findings and avert that. Jack and Alex head through a horizontal tunnel that leads to a vertical shaft where the bottom can't be seen. Alex is nervous, but descends the ladder with Jack when fire can be seen coming up from the bottom. They then race down to another tunnel and barely make it inside as the fire races by, but both then end up sliding down this new tunnel, out of control, but land safely. Some kids may worry when Burke says that deadly force has been authorized to be used on Jack. Jack and Alex race to free Sara and Seth from tables where they're strapped down and have been anesthetized. The sight of the Siphon's alien face, one its helmet is removed, might be unsettling and/or scary for the youngest of viewers. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Sci-fi weapons: Carried and/or used to threaten or attempt to kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Some guys dressed up like "Star Wars" storm troopers carry fake laser blasters, but Jack points out he has a "no weapons" policy in his cab. Government officials slowly walk toward the spaceship crash site, guns at the ready. We see a government/military man armed with a sniper rifle on the perimeter of the crash site. After Jack and the kids stop in a restaurant, the feds arrive and surround the place, with guns drawn. After Jack alerts the local sheriff of armed men arriving, a waitress shows Jack and the kids a way out, while Burke and his men come in and pull their guns. That causes the law as well as various locals to pull their guns on them, resulting in a standoff (where machine guns, handguns and shotguns are aimed at various people). Various costumed people hold fake sci-fi weapons at a UFO convention. Burke and his men arrive at a UFO convention and aim their guns at people. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Awesome," "Nut job," "Are you insane?" "Don't go in the pimped-out fridge, Jack," "I don't do it cuz it's kinda creepy," "Dude," "Easy on the human bashing," "You think?" "Uber-scary drama queen," "Fortified up to the ying-yang," "Man up, soldier," "Scum," "Let's rock 'n roll" and "I am your worst nightmare." Some of the action and stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate. JUMP SCENES As the light suddenly shifts in a dark cabin, we see the Siphon standing behind Jack, but it's then gone. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful, ominous and action/adventure oriented music occurs in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY None. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Jack was in and out of "juvi" as a kid, that his parents died when he was 16, and that he ran away from his foster home at the age of 17. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT UFOs, aliens, and whether the government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrials in places such as Area 51 (or Witch Mountain). We hear that Jack was in and out of "juvi" as a kid, that his parents died when he was 16, and that he ran away from his foster home at the age of 17. We then hear that he was in trouble with the law, including for grand theft auto, and that he spent time in prison for that. We hear that the kids' planet is dying from an un-breathable atmosphere and that they're experimenting with plant life on Earth to take back to their planet to resuscitate it. But we also hear that their planet's military would rather conquer Earth, and thus the kids are racing against time to get their ship back and return to their planet to report their findings and avert that. VIOLENCE Sara and Seth's ship crash-lands on Earth (but we later see that they're unharmed). A crime boss' goons harass Jack who hits both and then slams their faces down onto the hood of a vehicle. Various government SUVs pursue Jack and the kids in his cab down a desert highway. During this, they bump and spin his cab, but he keeps going, with one then crashing into the back of his cab at high speed. They eventually box him in on both sides and the back, with lots of bumping and crashing into the sides of the vehicles, resulting in lots of property damage. They get out of that, but Burke's vehicle continues the chase, with Seth decidedly to exit the cab (his molecules sliding through it until he's standing in the middle of the road). The SUV then slams into Seth, but he's become so dense that the SUV crumples around him, sending the back end up into the air. Sara then uses her paranormal powers to drive the cab backwards at high speed toward the crashed SUV, but then stops it just short, in order to pick up Seth. Jack then gets out, warns Burke and the others, and smashes a tire iron against the SUV. Jack hits the Siphon with a baseball bat, but the alien backhands him, sending Jack flying through the air. The Siphon then uses a weapon on its armored arm to blast an orb, and then does so again, causing a fire that spreads through the room. The Siphon then grabs Sara and backhands Seth away, with Jack then tackling the alien. A blob of energy then hits the Siphon, allowing the three to escape, but the Siphon fires another such blob through the tunnel just as Seth closes the entrance. The resulting explosion knocks Seth back, injuring him. Jack then picks him up and he and Sara race out and into the cab, avoiding eruptions of fire from the ground that pop up all around them. A spaceship fires at Jack's cab, sending it off the road and crashing through brush as it careens down a hill. The pursuit continues, with Jack hiding the cab in a railroad tunnel, with the spaceship's search lights nearly finding them in the tunnel. After it leaves, they drive along the railroad tracks, only to have the spaceship fire at them again, hitting near the back of a cab as well as blasting the railroad bridge they're on. They drive into another tunnel, only to have the spaceship pursue them in there. As they race toward the other end, a train approaches from that side, and they barely get out just as the train enters the tunnel where it crashes into the spaceship, resulting in a big explosion. The back of the train then derails, with a car flying over and barely missing Jack's cab. Sara uses her powers to cause government SUVs to blow up, but we don't know if anyone's harmed or killed. Burke then prepares to shoot at Jack and the kids, but a dog bites his arm and then rushes off. Bullets hit Jack's cab as he and the kids flee in it. Two thugs grab Jack, with one holding a gun, and one punches Jack in the side, but he then uses another person's prop gun to strike both men and escape. Sara uses her powers to cause some stage lighting on a scaffold to swing down and smash the Siphon back into a display panel. There's a car chase where a cab knocks over some newspaper and related boxes before the feds surround it, with guns drawn. Darts land in Sara and Seth's necks, rendering them unconscious, while guns are held on Jack and Alex. Jack hits two of the feds, but is then hit over the back with the butt of a weapon, followed by being punched in the face. In the backseat, Alex slaps Jack, but only to divert two government men's attention. Jack then hits one in the front and slams him against the other, followed by throwing both men from the moving vehicle. The Siphon causes an explosion inside an immense lab area, followed by federal agents shooting back at it. Jack slams one lab guy to a door and then hits him again, while Alex kicks another. That's followed by more fighting and struggling, including several people crashing through large glass walls/panels. The feds aim various weapons on Jack, Alex and the kids who hold hands, thus creating a force field of sorts. When one fed inadvertently fires, the rest do as well, but the bullets simply bounce off the four, leaving them unharmed. The Siphon then blasts into the area and fires at the feds (with various explosions blasting some of them back -- we don't know their fates), while others shoot at the Siphon that's unharmed by their bullets. The kids lift off in their spaceship, but without full power, they crash into various things inside the underground lab, causing property damage to them and then various vehicles as they fly down a large tunnel (while also smashing into the Siphon). They then race to get out the end of that tunnel as its opening is being closed and barely do so. The Siphon grabs Jack inside the kids' spaceship and throws him aside and then against a wall before bashing him up and down against the ceiling and floor. Jack manages to yank off its helmet and punch it several times, but the Siphon knocks him back and down into the ship's energy drive where he lands on a ledge, just above the deadly energy source. The Siphon then jumps down to finish him off, but Seth shows up and the Siphon attempts to punch him, but its fist goes through the boy. The Siphon then falls, grabs and dangles from Jack who punches it in the face, sending it falling into the energy source where it instantly disintegrates. Reviewed March 9, 2009 / Posted March 13, 2009

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