Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.
- John Hough
- Robert M. Young
Rating: 6.422/10 by 198 users
Alternative Title:
Witch Mountain 1 - Escape to Witch Mountain - CA
Побег на Ведьмину гору - RU
A Montanha Enfeiticada - 1975 - BR
Menekülés a Boszorkány hegyre - HU
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 37 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $20,000,000
Plot Keyword: flying car, helicopter, attempt to escape, car crash, telekinesis, based on children's book, mysterious, orphan siblings, exuberant
The 2009 remake does a better job at bringing its story to life, but 1975's 'Escape to Witch Mountain' is still a good film. The cast are all fine in their respective roles, even if none of them particularly standout. Eddie Albert (Jason), Kim Richards (Tia) and Ike Eisenmann (Tony) are satisfactory, as is Donald Pleasence as Deranian. With that said, I think Pleasence should've been the main villain here - there's really not much need for Ray Milland (Aristotle). Disney had a knack of doing that sorta thing in these early eras, having a bad guy and a bad guy's sidekick - most of the time, just one would suffice. The pace of the film isn't perfect, but the premise itself is intriguing enough to keep it chugging along at a suitable rate. More action-packed events would've been greater, especially as the opening titles seem to suggest that that may be on the horizon. That wasn't the case, yet I still had a decent time with this.