Movie Review: 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'

Nicolas Cage and Alfred Molina do their best Street Fighter impersonations in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." PHOTO: Disney

Super producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s second movie of the summer, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” may be based on the famous segment in Disney’s “Fantasia” but in reality it has more in common with Bruckheimer’s other summer film “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” Like that movie, “Apprentice” is a calculated but moderately entertaining, special effects-laden extravaganza that’s nothing more than a forgettable piece of summer fluff.

As an exposition-heavy pre-credits sequence informs us, Baltazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), Veronica (Monica Bellucci) and Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) used to be apprentices of Merlin (yes, that Merlin) until Horvath betrayed Merlin on behalf of the evil sorceress Morgana (Alice Krige) who planned to take over the world using some clichéd technique of reawakening an army of the dead. But after Morgana kills Merlin, Baltazar is able to trap her (and Horvath) into a nesting doll (!) and store them in a cool, dry place until he finds and trains Merlin’s successor– the Prime Merlinean (yes, seriously). If this sounds ridiculous, it is. Just bear with me.

The search for the Merlinean ends about 1500 years later when a stringy 11-year-old New Yorker named Dave Butler turns up on the footsteps of Baltazar’s magic shop in a manner too far-fetched to detail. But before Baltazar can begin his training, Dave mistakenly frees Horvath from his doll and unleashes an explosive barrage of CGI effects and pyrotechnics on the magic shop (and the audience). Somehow Dave manages to escape unscathed but Baltazar and Horvath disappear into thin air.

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

Ten years later, Dave (Jay Baruchel, still a “5” at best) is a physics genius gawking over his childhood crush Becky (Teresa Palmer). All is well for the lad until Baltazar pops into his life once again to teach him the art. It’s too bad then that Dave is more interested in wooing Becky than learning magic. Meanwhile Horvath, still after Baltazar for the doll containing his mistress Morgana, has also gotten himself an apprentice: a ridiculous Chris Angel/David Blaine-type named Drake (Toby Kebbell) and is already making plans for the second coming of Morgana.

Here’s the thing with “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” If you’ve seen “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” there really is no reason to see this because, as I stated earlier, they’re in many ways the same movie. Like every major Jerry Bruckheimer production since the excellent “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” both films are special effects-laden summer blockbusters that have been carefully produced using the golden “Pirates” formula: Take a well-established fantasy-driven brand name, lure in a couple of Oscar-winning actors hungry for massive paychecks, conjure a story that somehow has to blend action, comedy and romance, and over-produce the movie to death using the slick combination of glossy visuals, blazing CGI effects and a bombastic score. Add in the Disney banner, long hair, character actors Alfred Molina and Toby Kebbell in supporting roles, a formulaic “fulfill your destiny” plot and it’s like watching “Persia” all over again – except this time, it’s set in the present day, with more explosions and Nicolas Cage.

Alfred Molina is entertaining as Horvath in "The Sorcerer's
Apprentice." PHOTO: Disney

To be fair, Cage, who came up with the idea for the film (why of course!), is probably one of the best things about “Apprentice” – and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Cage can be great when he wants to – just watch “Adaptation.,” his Oscar-winning performance in “Leaving Las Vegas” or even last fall’s “Bad Lieutenant” and this April’s “Kick-Ass” for example. While he isn’t spectacular here, it’s still an engaging performance on line with his work in the “National Treasure” movies. Equally as strong is Molina who plays his character like a cross between his Dr. Octopus role in “Spider-Man 2” and his comic sidekick in “Prince of Persia.” Since he gets most of the film’s best lines and jokes, he’s easily the character the audience will have the most fun watching.

Baruchel though, isn’t so lucky. Even though the young actor, last seen in this spring's "She's Out of My League," shares a strong rapport with Cage and good chemistry with Palmer, he stands as a major miscasting decision by Bruckheimer and crew. Although he’s a capable actor, Baruchel is far too unbelievable as a heroic sorcerer, especially in the last act. The guy has zero screen presence and it looks like even a puff of wind could blow him away. Part of the problem could be associated to the character he plays. Dave is being gifted with incredible powers but yet he’s far interested in wooing Becky in a useless subplot that does nothing but kill the clock. He’s lucky Becky is really cute (and once again, way out of his league).

Alfred Molina gives his apprentice Drake (played
by Toby Kebbell) a little advice on good style in
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice." PHOTO: Disney

Though the dialogues are unusually strong for this type of picture (thanks to a team of FIVE writers!), the plot for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is derivative, predictable and eventually, towards the film’s final act, idiotic. By now, the story of the anti-social guy who becomes the savior of the world is essentially its own genre and “Apprentice” doesn’t make any changes to that formula – it actually follows it note to note, which is quite disappointing. It’s hard to like a movie when everything is so damn predictable.

Though the story kind of sucks, director Jon Turteltaub, who also directed the “National Treasure” films and classics like “Cool Runnings” (just kidding about the classic part), continues to show that he has the chops to direct a flashy action picture of this scale and keep the film from dragging. Action sequences like a colorful Chinatown battle involving dragons and a fast-paced car chase through the streets of Manhattan are both well-handled. The effects are also top-notch and fun, if not a little too noisy and tedious after awhile. While “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” isn’t as entertaining as “Prince of Persia,” it’s still on par with his silly “National Treasure” movies. Do yourself a favor and save your money for “Inception” instead.

BOTTOM LINE: With its bombastic score, boisterous and CGI-laden action scenes, “The Sorcerer Apprentice” certainly makes a strong case for one of the loudest movies of the summer. But true to the saying, “empty vessels make more noise,” this fantasy action comedy hybrid is formulaic, forgettable and borderline idiotic at times. Still, with engaging performances from Nicolas Cage and Alfred Molina and a plot that flows effortlessly, this is a moderately entertaining effort. In this summer of suck, you could do far worse.

GRADE:

B-

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Written by: Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Monica Bellucci
Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes
Rated: PG (for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language)