Story
Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) is an ex-mobster now earning an honest living driving tourists around Las Vegas. He finds two teenage children, who have appeared out of nowhere, sitting in the back seat of his cab. Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (Anna Sophia Robb) ask Jack to drive them to the desert, telling him it is urgent that they get there without delay. Jack finds their money too good to refuse and accepts the fare. But before Jack and his mysterious passengers have travelled very far, they are pursued by government agents in black SUVs, led by Henry Burke (Ciaran Hinds). Seth uses superhuman powers to crash the pursuing vehicles. Thinking that the SUV occupants are mobsters, Jack warns them off.
Jack, Seth and Sara travel to an abandoned shack in the middle of the desert. Here the teenagers reveal their alien identity. They are all attacked by an alien predator called a Siphon.
After another escape from government agents, Jack decides to head back to Las Vegas to enlist the help of Dr Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino). Alex takes Jack and the children to meet Dr Donald Harlan (Garry Marshall), an expert on government conspiracy and UFO cover-ups. Harlan tells them that the government is holding Seth and Sara’s spaceship at a secret government base inside Witch Mountain. Jack, Alex and the children leave Las Vegas and head straight for Witch Mountain with the Siphon in close pursuit.
Themes
Aliens; UFOs
Violence
Race to Witch Mountain contains frequent action violence, violence against children, some intensity and peril, infrequent threats of violence and some intimidation. For example:
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie contains some use of substances. For example, Seth and Sara are hit in the neck with tranquiliser darts that render them unconscious. They are later strapped to an operating table and kept unconscious with anaesthetic.
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
This movie contains some name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Race to Witch Mountain is a Disney science fiction action film likely to appeal to older school-aged children (10 years and over) and younger adolescents. The film is packed with action, explosions, smoke and sparks, as well as car chases, danger and escapes. Children under the age of 10 might find the amount of violence and scary scenes overwhelming and possibly distressing.
The main message from this movie is that humans are capable of displaying selfless acts of compassion towards complete strangers even if they are aliens. Values in this movie that you might wish to reinforce with your children include:
- selflessness and compassion
- trust
- perseverance through adversity.
This movie could also give you the opportunity to discuss with your children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences. For example, you could discuss:
- the way that Sara and Seth are treated by the US government as ‘illegal aliens’
- the fact that Sara and Seth steal money from an ATM.