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 Race to Witch Mountain
By
Christopher Gildemeister
Release Date:
March 13, 2009
MPAA rating:
PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous
situations, and some thematic elements
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Annasophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla
Gugino
Recommended age: 7+
Overall PTC Traffic Light Rating: Green
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Sex |
None |
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Violence
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Death implied, crashes, explosions, fire, guns pointed, fistfights,
fantasy violence |
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Language
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“pimped out,” “relieve himself” |
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Behavior |
Breaking the law |
 Las Vegas cabdriver
Jack Bruno picks up an unusual fare: Seth and Sarah, two children who ask him to
drive them out into the middle of the desert. Seth and Sarah claim they are from
another world, on a mission to retrieve an important alien artifact – a claim
Jack comes to believe when the children demonstrate their otherworldly powers.
Pursued by Jack’s criminal former employer, the government’s anti-UFO team and
the Siphon, an alien robot assassin, Jack and the children team up with Dr. Alex
Friedman, a beautiful scientist. Can the four of them evade their pursuers and
return Seth and Sarah to their spaceship…and save the world in the process?
There is little
problematic content in Race to Witch Mountain. The film does feature many
crashes: cars, trains and even flying saucers smash into the ground and one
another, sometimes with fiery explosions resulting, but no one is harmed in
these scenes. The government team frequently points pistols and rifles at
innocents, including the children, but they do not harm any human beings. The
Siphon shoots rayguns, causing explosions, and has a firefight with the
government soldiers near the end of the movie. Dialogue indicates that the robot
is “cutting down” human troops, but the deaths are not shown onscreen. The
children use their alien powers, Sarah causing objects to fly about with her
mind, and Seth increasing his density so that cars crash into him but he remains
unharmed. Jack engages in frequent fistfights with his criminal associates and
the government soldiers, and has several long knock-down, drag-out fights with
the Siphon.
Throughout the
movie the heroes break the law and evade government agents, but in the good
cause of saving the alien children and helping them get home. At one point Jack
refers to an alien device as a “pimped-out fridge,” and Sarah states that a dog
(whose mind she can read) needs to “relieve himself.” The film showcases several
good messages: loyalty to one’s friends, the importance of working together and
of helping strangers in need, and the necessity of being open and trusting
others. Mind-reader Sarah also encourages lifelong failure Jack, telling him,
“You’re smarter than you think you are.”
Race to Witch
Mountain
is a delightful romp, filled with special effects action and warm humor. It is
sure to please older kids, teens and parents (some of whom will be delighted by
the appearance of Kim Richards and Iake Eissenmann, stars of Disney’s 1975
classic Escape to Witch Mountain, in cameo roles), though the film’s
action may be too intense for very young children. The Parents Television
Council is proud to award Race to Witch Mountain with the PTC Seal of
ApprovalTM. The PTC does not recommend this film for viewers
under age
seven.
Family Movie Reviews
The Parents Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
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