I had to see this movie, being a big Disney fan as well as an Alfred Molina and Toby Kebbell fan. Here's what I thought of it:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Monica Bellucci
‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ is an amazing spectacle of visual entertainment coupled with solid performances, but sadly ends up falling flat. It’s undoubtedly a fun film that is visually pleasing, and is filled with excellent actors that do their best with what they are given, but it can’t break free of an extremely predictable, bland plot.
The movie opens with an outlining of the partnership of Veronica (Monica Bellucci), Balthazar (Nicolas Cage), and Horvath (Alfred Molina), three sorcerers working under Merlin until Horvath betrays the group and joins up with evil sorceress Morgana. Long story short, Balthazar captures Morgana (who is now sharing Veronica’s body as a result of some intense spell) and traps them inside a magical doll. Balthazar then travels the world over the decades searching for a boy who will be his apprentice and have the power to destroy Morgana, capturing other Morgana supporters and Horvath himself along the way. Cut to the year 2000 and enter Dave (Jay Baruchel), a fourth grader vying for the attentions of fellow student Becky (Teresa Palmer). Through ‘coincidence’ he finds Balthazar’s shop, is revealed to be the one Balthazar has been looking for, and accidentally releases Horvath. There’s some fighting, the two sorcerers get trapped inside a magic vase, and poor Dave looks like a raving lunatic to his classmates. Ten years later Balthazar and Horvath are released and set out to find the doll and Dave, who has just met back up with his childhood crush Becky. The apprenticeship begins and Dave must balance his sorcery lessons and his love life while wrapping his head around the fact that the fate of the world may rest on him.
‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, falling victim to a plot that’s slightly boring due to its extreme predictability, relies heavily on the amazing special effects and excellent action scenes, which were definitely the strong aspects of the film. Fortunately the movie was also able to use solid acting as a crutch thanks to the presentations of the key characters. Toby Kebbell was quite fun to watch in his flamboyant portrayal of sorcerer Drake Stone; his antics were done humorously without being over the top. Alfred Molina was exceptional as the refined yet icy villain Horvath, able to send chills and invoke laughs without making the character seem cartoonish or silly. Nicolas Cage was just right as sorcerer Balthazar, but there was nothing about his performance to set it apart as extraordinary. Jay Baruchel was endearing but typical as physics nerd Dave, but he did very well with the material he was given.
While the main characters were well done and entertaining, there was a definite weak point with minor characters. Dave’s roommate held promise of much humour, and the two other Morgana supporters trapped inside Balthazar’s doll built up anticipation of wonderfully nasty minor villains and subsequent action, but instead they were all barely used. The feeling left by the disregard of these characters is similar to lighting the fuse on a fantastic firework, watching it burn, and then having the firework spark pathetically and drop to the ground. Instead of a fabulous display, you get nothing but fizzle and disappointment.
When you factor everything together the most disappointing part of the film was by far its ending. A perfect ending is difficult to create, and sadly this one tried to please everyone and ended up extremely weak and unsatisfying.
When all is said and done ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ could have been better written, but it’s great fun to watch and is recommended for the special effects and action.
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