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Techtite's DVD Reviews! |
"Unlike many earlier attempts of Disney remakes, this pays respect to the original story and adds exactly enough added modern zing to make the story better!" --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- The "Secret" Cameos You May Have Missed. Pay close attention to the scene where the heroes escape the "Men in Black" type agents at a small diner, because there are two amusing cameos there that salute the original series. The blonde waitress who helps them escape is none other than Kim Richards, aka the alien girl "Tia" from the original movie. Oh, and that sherrif who locks horns with the Men in Black, insisting that it's his little town and he's in charge here...? That's the original young hero from Escape to Witch Mountain, Ike Eisenmann. As some added bonuses; check out several cameos of additional Disney teen stars of yesteryear, including Meredith Salenger (Disney's "The Journey of Natty Gann") and Christine Lakin (best known as the precocious young Alicia in Disney/ABC's long running 1990's sitcom, Step by Step).
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Race to Witch MountainReview by TechtiteThey said it couldn't be done, though here it is: a decent Disney remake. Sure, there have been remakes of recent years that "succeeded" if only due to commercial hype, though this is different. Aside from some snooty critics that would hate anything that challenges their beloved "Watchmen" at the box office, I can't see many coherent complaints here. This movie is really good, really fun, really well done, and all critics who disagree are really wrong.Let's backtrack a bit, for those who have never experienced one of Disney's cult hits of the 1970's. The original Escape to Witch Mountain involved two kids with super abilities, who needed to escape the clutches of those who would use them as mere lab rats. They inevitably escape to Witch Mountain to presumably meet with their parents or family, with a "big reveal" as to who they are and where they came from that is sadly spoiled in the remake's trailer. They later returned in the simply titled sequel, Return to Witch Mountain, which was a cheesy sequel where none other than Betty Davis and Christopher Lee kidnap young Tony, with his sister Tia in hot pursuit to save him. I don't know why I'm explaining all this because none of the above has anything to do with this movie. However, it does give the cynics a fuller perspective, of the larger back-story behind one of Disney's biggest cult classics. Jump ahead to the 2009 remake, where a burly Las Vegas taxi driver (perfectly played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), suddenly finds himself in the middle of a big adventure, when young Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) jump into the back of his cab. As it turns out, these two seemingly "normal" kids are being chased by both a strange high-tech assassin, and a gang of Men-in-Black style government agents. The "race" is on to Witch Mountain ---hence the title--- so that the kids can stop what they say is a threat against the Earth. As you can tell from just that one paragraph, this story is a far grittier and edgier tale than either of the two prior Disney flicks. Explosions are aplenty, car chases are numerous and special effects are seen just about every 5 minutes. While this doesn't leave much time to develop any real love for the super-powered kids ---the original film was filled with dialogue and discussions galore, for better or for worse--- this is frankly one of the most pleasant surprises of the early 2009 movie season, and a surprising omission from Disney's summer releases. Seriously; if they bumped this to early 2009, I can't wait to see what they have planned for summer. Yet what this film lacks in any lengthy dialogue, it more than makes up for in well casted characters. AnnaSophia Robb, fresh from her poignant role in Bridge to Terabithia, is extremely likeable as Sara. It's one of those challenging roles that requires her to act like a child with super human abilities yet with the naiveté of a child that's seemingly just begun to experience "the real world." In short: she makes her character extremely likeable. While Alexander Ludwig doesn't have as much to do as brother Seth, he handles his role equally well, even though his super powers are more ominous and less "lovable" than Sara's. Both kid roles are enhanced by the ingenious choice of "The Rock," Dwayne Johnson, as the "mere" taxicab driver who is suddenly in charge of protecting these kids. This role, of a down on his luck hero-to-be, is frankly my favorite role that The Rock has ever played. This isn't even getting into all the little roles which have been handed out to some amusing Disney movie veterans, for a nice additional touch to the movie. The big reveal of who plays Doctor Harlan (think of him as sort of an X-Files-style geek) is a particularly amusing visual gag. However, it is clear that the casting department for this movie had a lot of fun casting even the tiniest of one-line roles (see "sidebar" at upper right for some hints of who to look for). It's all a clear sign of how this remake was a labor of love, by people who love classic Disney action movies. As a result, fans of Disney action movies should have fun as well.
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