Up next for review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice starring Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel and Alfred Molina. Directed by John Turteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
I have to start by asking why did this movie get such a bad review? Most of the press that I saw after the opening weekend was very negative but since we don't listen to the press we saw it anyway. Imagine my surprise when I didn't hate it. In fact, it's a decent family action/adventure, with the emphasis on family. It's a kid's movie at heart, but an entertaining one.
Nicholas Cage stars as Balthazar, a former apprentice of Merlin, who believes that Dave (Jay Baruchel) is the next Prime Merlinian and as such is the only person who can destroy the evil sorceress Morgana. Cage is very entertaining as the mentor, despite being a toned-down version of his manic self, and convincing during the battle scenes. Baruchel, however, I find...flat. It's likely due to the overexposure of the superhero movies which rely on the hero-in-geek's clothing trope quite heavily. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is no exception and that isn't Baruchel's fault.I think Baruchel himself does an ok job in this movie. He's no superstar but he does manage to get the audience to laugh and that's really all we can ask for from his character.
The most interesting bit for me were the references within the movie to other movies because I found it odd. I won't spoil which movies The Sorcerer's Apprentice riffs on but some are more subtle than others so pay attention. I found them very obvious and at first I wasn't sure if it was a joke or if it was intentional. Why choose those movies to reference? They felt out of place to me. They also felt a little forced and shoe-horned into the movie's world, but the audience liked them and laughed when appropriate so I suppose that's a success (if you're looking for cheap laughs when the scene requires no laughter). I just didn't understand why the tribute to Disney's Fantasia wasn't enough and why the other two movies referenced were chosen.
Sorcerer's Apprentice offers tons of action, lots of fun, and a few laughs. I say see it. Sure it's formulaic and light but that is what it's supposed to be. It is Disney, after all.
IMDB here
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