Dwayne (aka "The Rock") Johnson has a couple of funny one-liners, but not enough to make the experience worthwhile. He was far more charming as a reluctant dad in The Game Plan.

In this re-fashioning of a classic Disney franchise, Johnson plays Jack Bruno, a Vegas taxi driver with a dodgy past. A pair of teen siblings, Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig) appear in the back seat of his cab, and he takes them for runaways. They have a wad of cash, which strangely doesn't arouse his suspicions—even though he was an ex-con.

Both brother and sister converse in a combination of robot-speak and awkward formality, which in movies is a sure sign that these are no ordinary kids. The pair remain preternaturally calm through car chases and other harrowing moments, and say things like: "It would appear we have not evaded them."

But still Jack stubbornly refuses to think they are anything but a couple of runaway teens. In a scene that seems borrowed from E.T., they show Jack their supernatural powers and he finally gets the picture. Anyone over 3 will have figured it out long before.

The movie is bogged down by an unbelievable villain (Ciaran Hinds, a military/spy honcho) and even less credible stunts.

Oddly, for a movie that undoubtedly is meant to fascinate kids, Race seems to focus more on adults than teens. Early on, Jack meets Alex (Carla Gugino), a professor who comes to Las Vegas for a UFO convention.

When the kids and Jack are running from both the military spies and an intergalactic assassin, Jack decides he needs Alex's help.

The director seems to have forgotten that Race is essentially a story about teenage extraterrestrials and focuses too much on the physical prowess of the middle-aged adults. Alex and Jack also turn to a sci-fi writer and expert on all things alien (Garry Marshall). Wouldn't it have made more sense to cast a person more recognizable to young audiences?

And too much time is spent focusing on the costumed folks attending the UFO convention rather than the kids themselves.

Race to Witch Mountain is mediocre family fare that's simply not that much fun.

Despite an array of gadgets, a spaceman villain with a monster face, and complicated scientific experiments, it lacks urgency and thrills.