MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1: THE SORCERER'S APPENTICE
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci, Toby Kebbell, Jake Cherry, Alice Krige, Gregory Woo and Omar Benson Miller
WRITER: Matt Lopez and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard
DIRECTOR: Jon Turteltaub
WEB SITE: Disney.com/Sorcerer
THE PLOT: Straight from the brains of Jon Turteltaub and Jerry Bruckheimer (the team behind the lucrative if not ludicrous National Treasure franchise), The Sorcerer's Apprentice reunites the duo with Nicolas Cage, who stars in the film as Balthazar Blake (or BB for short0. Balthazar, you see, is a sorcerer who, for centuries, has been battling to keep his arch rival Horvath (Alfred Molina) from destroying the world by unlocking Morgana (Alice Krige) from her nesting doll cell. (That sentence will make more sense will you see the movie.)
Cursed by a spell to not age (so that explains how Cage's character has hair in this movie!), Balthazar has been looking for a young sorcerer who will one day become the "Prime Merlinian" (not to be confused by the Prime Meridian) and be able to stop all the ancient evil out there. (It's kind of like looking for The Last Dragon, The Last Airbender or the new Karate Kid - got it? OK.)
Enter Dave (Jay Baruchel), a former fourth grader (played as a youth by Jake Cherry) turned college student that Balthazar believes to be the Prime Merlinian. There's just one problem: Dave is so nerdy he makes Peter Parker look like Rambo. Throw in the fact that Dave is all gaga (but not Lady Gaga) for Becky (Teresa Palmer) and that Horvath has his own apprentice in the form of Criss Angel-like magician Drake Stone (Toby Kebbell) and Balthazar has his work cut out for him.
So can Dave overcome his foibles and become the Prime Merlinian he is potentially destined to be? There's only one way to find out!
THE TAKE: The Sorcerer's Apprentice is one of those movies you know could be better ... Even if you're not quite sure what you would fix about it. It's not a bad movie, but it's not a great movie and you know it could have been.
What are some of the problems? It's certainly not in the film's action sequences nor its special effects, which are better than several films in its genre that have come earlier this year and one of the few that would actually probably be better in the now overused RealD 3D. Also, the story progresses at a good pace, keeping an implausible scenario as plausible as possible and wraps things up while leaving the door open for the inevitable sequel.
No the flaws come in the form of the characters and the lack of "comedy" in a comedy adventure film. As a self-admitted Jay Baruchel fan (he's good at being nerdy as he channels Woody Allen in many roles, but isn't always nerdy nor as nerdy as Michael Cera usually is in his roles), it was a bit sad to watch as he plays a role of a nerdy guy who knows he's nerdy with too much vigor. We get it - Dave is smart but not cool, wimpy and a tad weak. But MAN, he REALLY plays that up a bit too much for the character's own good. Even when Dave is doing something cool, he still seems unsure of himself at points where he needs to have established confidence in himself for you to root more for the character.
It's the difference between being a talented athlete, a championship athlete and one whose actions reveal he may not be up to the challenge. (I'm sure I could make a Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James joke here, but out of respect to Cleveland Cavaliers fans who may read this, I won't!) In contrast, Cage is fine as BB ... But there are some times when he hits that 'old guy who is trying to show the young guy he's hippier than him' vibe that is a tad corny. (Or maybe I just haven't forgiven him for that 'OK ... Let's ride" finger-thing he did in Gone in 60 Seconds, I don't know ...)
While I'm sure other critics - and have at it, boys and girls - will dissect all the reasons this film is the next summer blockbuster or disappointment (I love the way others use hyperbole to make a movie sound like they are writing about politics), I'll simply put it to you like this: The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a fine 90 minute diversion from your life, but it's not a great one for those over the age of 13. It's unoffensive, harmless and light-hearted ... But it lacks the polish, fit and finish to be considered great.
As long as you know that going in, you'll likely find the latest venture from the company behind the mouse ears enjoyable. No more, no less.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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