After movies like "The Last Airbender" and "Percy Jackson" finally a CG-laden spectacle that also seems cleverly put together.
- Who's going to like it: Families who want to take their kids to a movie that won't be excruciating on the parents.
Maybe it’s been the
onslaught of subpar kiddie flicks without brains or heart like “Percy Jackson,”
and “The Last Airbender,” but when it came time to see Disney’s new film “The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice” starring Nic Cage I had very low expectations.
From the trailers it’s
reminiscent of another movie involving magic where actors wave their arms
around and CG takes over from there. So, it was surprising to find out that “The
Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is more than just a CG festival of special effects. This
film does so many things right.
Let’s talk about the plot
first. Dave (Jay Baruchel) is just a poor science nerd. One day as a kid he
meets Balthazar (Nicolas Cage). It isn’t long before we’re let into the
wizarding world. We get heaps of backstory involving Balthazar and his mortal
enemy Horvath (Alfred Molina). After Balthazar places a special ring on Dave
and it fits, it’s clear that Dave is the person who has been prophesied about
by Merlin himself. The sorcerer that will come along and rid the world of the
evil sorcerer Morgana. Yes, it’s all very confusing, when I try and type it
down in sequential order, but watching it on the screen it’s very easy to
follow.
Baruchel dawns his signature
geek-like stammer. Cage dives head first into another role which couldn’t be
played by anyone other than him. No matter what Cage picks to be in you’ve got
to hand it to him, he goes all out. He never holds back or feels like he’s
mailing in a performance. He makes the world of sorcerers believable and fun.
What makes “The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice” such a fun ride is that it doesn’t just rely on its special effects
to squeak by. The team of writers that worked on this film saw fit to piece
together a movie full of clever lines and interactions with characters. This
isn’t like “Prince of Persia” jumping from one incoherent action scene to
another. The clever writing gives this movie a real brain where it could have
so easily lacked. There’s a joke in here that is for the older generation. I
dare not reveal what it is, but you will know when it happens. One of the
funniest gags from a film this year.
Another clever aspect to the
story is the way magic is explained. This isn’t just magic of magic’s sake.
Balthazar explains that magic is like science in that you have to control the
molecules of any given object and use them at your whim. What’s fun about this
is that we have a world with magic, but the magic has rules. Magic is a learned
trade, and isn’t something that just comes to someone. It’s a trade that
involves studying and knowledge of the world around you.
Back to the story, Dave is
faced with a plethora of problems. He’s a weakling, and harnessing the world’s
magic isn’t really at the top of his to-do list. He’d much rather spend time
with his childhood sweetheart Becky, but saving the world must come first. In
the end “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is a fine respite from the deluge of
brainless kids movies that have gone through theaters in the last few months.
It’s something parents can take their kids to, and be just as involved with the
story and characters. These kinds of films are rare nowadays, so don’t miss it.
(3 1/2 out of 5)
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