'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' Movie Review

The summer of 2010 won't go down in history as one of the best for moviegoers. There's been a lack of fun films and a real lack of magic and imagination from this year's summer offerings. But with The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Disney and the National Treasure team of Nicolas Cage and director Jon Turteltaub have reminded audiences it's okay to laugh and okay to have a good time at the movies this summer.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is an effects-laden action-adventure romantic comedy/thriller involving an apprentice of Merlin's out to save Manhattan. And while the film's not going to save the summer, it is fast-paced, well-acted, and - totally unexpectedly - one of the most overall entertaining films of the summer. It's a Jerry Bruckheimer production so, as expected, it does have over-the-top special effects and in-your-face action, but it's also got heart, humor, and some fairly incredible action sequences. Plus, between Kick-Ass and this, Nicolas Cage is better than he has been in years and Jay Baruchel's the perfect sidekick.

The Story

We first meet Balthazar Blake (Cage) back in 700ish AD where he's apprenticed to the master sorcerer Merlin. Morgana (Alice Krige) wants to turn the world evil and she's got a former student of Merlin's, Horvath (Alfred Molina), converted to her side helping out. But her dastardly plan is thwarted when Merlin uses his last act on earth to trap her in a Russian nesting doll. Unfortunately, Balthazar's great love, Veronica (Monica Bellucci), also winds up trapped inside the dolls.

Flash-forward to 2000 and Balthazar has set up shop in Manhattan. He's spent the past 1,300 years since Merlin's death searching for the person destined to be Merlin's next apprentice. He finally finds the chosen one in 10 year old Dave Stutler (Jake Cherry), a nerdy kid who stumbles into Balthazar's store and who turns out to be the one person who has the power to kill Morgana. But an accident unleashes Horvath from the nesting dolls and during the fight between Horvath and Balthazar, they both wind up trapped in an antique urn for 10 years.

Flash forward again to 2010 and Dave's still a nerd but now in college. Balthazar and Horvath are finally free from the curse that had them locked away for a decade and each needs to get to that nesting doll. Of course that means Dave, who had to go to counseling and transfer schools after his last traumatic encounter with the pair of sorcerers, is drawn back into the battle between good and evil. But Dave would rather work on his physics studies and on trying to get close to the gorgeous Becky (Teresa Palmer). He doesn't want to have anything to do with this whole magic thing, but Balthazar's power of persuasion - and the fact Horvath keeps trying to kill him - eventually makes Dave change his mind. A reluctant and unlikely hero if ever there was one, Dave soon digs into his magic studies and gets a real kick out of learning to shoot fireballs out of his hands. As his powers grow, the date for the ultimate showdown draws near with the balance of mankind hanging in Dave's hands.

The Acting

Cage goes about tackling the role of Balthazar with unbridled enthusiasm - and a pretty impressive wig. Cage loves fantasy films and wanted to make one to entertain the whole family, and he pretty much accomplishes that with The Sorcerer's Apprentice. At 46, Cage is still fully capable of handling action scenes, and the fact he's having a good time playing a sorcerer amid all the effects lets the audience get even closer to the character.

Teaming up with Cage is Jay Baruchel, last seen in She's Out of My League and last heard in How to Train Your Dragon. The unusual pairing of Cage and Baruchel works, the teacher/student relationship feels authentic. Baruchel's reed thin physique, unique voice and geeky vibe makes him perfect for the part of a reluctant hero who must save the world.

The rest of the supporting players fly in and out with only Molina as Horvath and Teresa Palmer as the college beauty who falls for the physics nerd-turned-magician getting a chance to make an impression. Molina's good at being the villain and Palmer's absolutely terrific as Baruchel's love interest.

The Bottom Line

There are times when the effects threaten to overwhelm the story, and when you get right down to it, the plot itself is as basic as it gets. But The Sorcerer's Apprentice overcomes its weak spots by just charging through them full speed ahead. If something doesn't work, you'll forget about it within minutes because there's so much going on within the speedy 1 hour 50 minute running time.

Based on a portion of Disney's animated film Fantasia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice pays homage to that classic film in an innovative bit of movie magic in which Jay Baruchel's character substitutes for Mickey Mouse as mops march about on their own cleaning up until the magician behind their lively activity loses complete control of the inanimate objects. The scenes not brilliant - but close to it.

I'll admit The Sorcerer's Apprentice wasn't high on my list of movies I was looking forward to seeing this summer. I'm not big on mindless effects-filled action films, but that's not what The Sorcerer's Apprentice wound up being (serves me right for judging a film by its trailers). Just plain fun, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is visually sustaining and surprisingly entertaining.

GRADE: B

The Sorcerer's Apprentice was directed by Jon Turteltaub and is rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.

Theatrical Release: July 14, 2010

Disclosure: This review is based on a screening provided by the studio. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.