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Witch Mountain a Fun Ride

The onetime Rock is well-cast

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 13, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

(Newser) – Kids’ adventure flick Race to Witch Mountain—the story of a pair of alien teens who meet Dwayne (don't call him the Rock) Johnson and try to save Earth—is good fun, critics say. Here's a rundown:

"Thoroughly modern in every way, Race to Witch Mountain bears little resemblance to its predecessor, 1975's Escape to Witch Mountain. So anybody who loved the original as a kid would be well served to check their expectations at the door," says Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News.

Johnson provides "a credible tough guy action hero in a non-threatening mode. He rules over chases, fights, explosions and an Ooze Monster, yet never seems nasty," notes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times.
AO Scott took his 10-year-old to see the film, and stands behind her review. “‘It was OK,’ she said. ‘It was pretty noisy, though.’ Really, what more can I add?” he asks in the New York Times.
"Go with the kids to see Race to Witch Mountain, which is a fast and furious wild ride of a movie in which the good guys are good, the bad guys are good, and the car chases are pretty spectacular,” writes Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times.

[Images (2)]

[Videos (1)]

In this film still released by Disney, actors, from left, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig and Dwayne Johnson are shown in a scene from "Race to Witch Mountain." (AP Photo/Disney, Ron Phillips)

In this film still released by Disney, actors, from left, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig and Dwayne Johnson are shown in a scene from "Race to Witch Mountain." (AP Photo/Disney, Ron Phillips)

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The film's trailer. (YouTube)

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Witch Mountain a Fun Ride