The Movie
The plot of Disney's Race to Witch Mountain is pretty standard family-movie fare, with a team of mean government dudes in suits pursuing the mysterious visitors from another world. But unlike, say, E.T., Race replaces the universal beauty of childhood friendship with oodles of car chases, shootouts and a lot of explosions. But guess what: It works.
The adorable blonde brother/sister aliens come in peace, naturally, and are soon aided by a down-on-his-luck cab driver (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) on their way to find their confiscated spaceship, hidden inside the top-secret "Witch Mountain." With a do-or-die cyber-assassin on their trail and a gorgeous astrophysicist (Carla Gugino) in their corner, the obstacles are many but the pair might just make it back through their wormhole alive.
The Picture
Blacks are exceptionally strong in the 2.4:1 video, as even predominately dark scenes (and there are many) are usually quite stable and natural-looking. And talk about fine detail: There are a lot of desert scenes, and the trees and underbrush and the textures of rock and sand are strikingly sharp. I did notice some noise, likely unavoidable, in clouds of dust or through a dirty windshield, and a hint of organic grain, but not so much as to be a serious issue.
The Sound
Director Andy Fickman's approach is apparently to wow the audience from beginning to end, achieved in large part via a remarkably active 5.1 channel mix: helicopters, voices over the radio, alarms, footsteps, even something as small as the crackling of small fires in the background. Cars zoom front to back, back to front, and the bass levels are hardcore as well. It's aggressive without being obnoxious, appropriately utilized to tell the story the way he wants to tell it.
The Extras
Exclusive to Blu-ray is the Backstage Disney section, containing the eight-minute "Which Mountain?" featurette about the many often-obscure references to the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain and beyond, in high-definition. The nine deleted/extended/alternate scenes with director introductions (23 minutes total) and three-and-a-half minutes of bloopers are in standard-def. Also included in this bundle is a DVD of the movie, plus a Digital Copy for use with our choice of iTunes or Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
Race was more fun than I was expecting, as fast-paced as the title implies and a real treat for the eyes and ears. While surprisingly light on meaningful high-def extras, this three-disc set is a fine value for fans of The Rock who want to watch him in multiple media.
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Product Details
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