Parents' Guide to

Race to Witch Mountain

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Sci-fi remake is action packed and intense for a PG film.

Movie PG 2009 98 minutes
Race to Witch Mountain Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 32 parent reviews

age 4+

If you have seen the classic Race to witch Mountain it’s literally a “modern” version that is full of action and will make the whole family laugh.
age 10+

Horrid Special Effects, Ruins Everything Else

The acting is mediocre. The fx are horrid. It's not that good, and The Rock can't fix that.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (32 ):
Kids say (43 ):

Director Andy Fickman, who hired Johnson for RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN while they filmed the family comedy The Game Plan, knows how to ramp up the action while keeping the humor a kid-friendly PG. With his bulging muscles and surprisingly acute comic chops, Johnson proves he's the Arnold Schwarzenegger of this generation, able to kick serious butt one moment and be the butt of a joke the next. Gugino (of Spy Kids and Night at the Museum fame) is always perfectly pleasant, if a bit unbelievable as a Ph.D., while Irish thespian Ciaran Hinds is adeptly menacing as a government agent, and Cheech Marin and Garry Marshall provide some comic relief.

Even the original movie's child stars -- Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards -- get more than the usual one-line cameos as a helpful sheriff and waitress, respectively. As for their contemporary counterparts, Robb is sweetly ethereal and clearly a rising star, leaving Ludwig slightly underwhelming by comparison. Kids will a kick out of the teens' telekinetic and shape-shifting abilities, and parents will appreciate the one-liners about Vegas, sci-fi conventions, fanboys, and, ultimately, the concept of teens who act like aliens.

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