The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Movie Review

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Movie Review

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina, Monica Bellucci
Director: Jon Turteltaub
So it's a new generation of wizardry ways.
In the latest from Disney, Nicolas Cage stars as Balthazar Blake, a sorcerer who's fought his arch nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina complete with requisite English bad guy accent and goatee beard) throughout time - and since the time of Arthur and Merlin.
But Blake needs to find the Prime Merlinian, a sorcerer who has so much power that they can wield the power of Merlin and help vanquish Horvath.
Enter Jay Baruchel's Dave, a nerdy physics major who ten years ago met Blake, was told of his destiny and then watched Blake disappear into thin air. So obviously he has a few issues with self esteem, doubts and of course, women.
However, when Blake reappears, Dave finds he is slap bang in the middle of Maxim's plans to use an ancient power to raise an army of the dead and take over the world&can Dave help Blake save the day?
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a fresh, fun take on the world of sorcery and magic; it's fantastical family fun complete with its everyman central character played with humour and likeability by Jay Baruchel (How To Train Your Dragon).
Nicolas Cage gives his usual laconic slightly dry take on his character - complete with shaggy hair and trenchcoat, he looks like a cross between the Matrix and the homeless.
Yet, with some eye popping special effects (some of which hark back to the Mummy) and a script which is smart enough to throw cinematic nods to the older end of the audience (Star Wars and Indy are just two of them), the team behind this know how to keep all sections of the audience engaged. Also it's well worth seeing for the clever tongue in cheek reference to Fantasia - it seems like a corny idea but the homage is a wonderful piece to those in the know.

Sure, Cage rolls out some awful babble at the start and the film threatens to plunge into a pit of its own po-faced making, but with an engaging Baruchel, some excellent set pieces and effects, the whole thing hangs together nicely for some good family fun.