The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Jerry Bruckheimer can be an acquired taste and while he has produced a fair number of turkeys to go with the hits, it can’t be denied his back catalogue always attempts to entertain in some way. He also knows an opportunity when he sees one and after the silly but entertaining National Treasure films it’s no surprise he reunites director and star of said series to silly, but yes, entertaining effect. What with that title you’ll be unsurprised to hear the film is an expanded version of said scene in Fantasia. Things don’t start too well though with a prologue which is designed to give the background to the story, but is rushed through and somewhat confusing. Director Jon Turteltaub is clearly interested in moving things on as quick as possible and before long we are into the main crux of the film, that of Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), a sorcerer in New York, and his battle with Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina), whilst taking on Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) as his apprentice (natch). Cage and Baruchel are in good form and bounce off each other well, but it’s Molina who is the star, gleefully hamming it up and proving once again he is one of the most versatile actors around. The down side to that though is that sidekick Toby Kebbell is acted off the screen. Other downers are that the female roles are also underwritten as not much more than scream queens and that the ending of the film is a tad underwhelming. That said, this has the nice feel of an old fashioned Disney film. There are silly character names, evil bad guys (but, not that evil) and a good sprinkling of laughs. It’s a surprise then when you consider it’s flopped at the box office. There could be a few reasons for this, but I don’t think the actual title of the film exactly has people rushing down the local multiplex. Plus, at a very brief glance, the posters and trailer make it look like a Harry Potter knock off. A shame really, but I’d hope something this fun will find a second life on DVD.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This is lightweight, but decent effects and good chemistry between Cage and Baruchel nicely compliment the thrills and spills. Rating: 7/10