At the very beginning of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, we are given
the back-story of where Balthazar Blake (Nic Cage) originally comes from. It
turns out he was a sorcerer who was one of three apprentices of none other than
the great Merlin himself. Taking place over a thousand years ago in England, we
see the magical battle for control between Merlin, his apprentices, and the evil
Morgana--played by Alice Krige, who’s still every bit as regal and intimidating
as when she played the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact. And then the story moves forward to the year 2000, where Cage’s sorcerer, still ageless thanks to a spell cast on him by Merlin, discovers a young kid with the potential to be the next Merlin.
But, this kid, being a total klutz, accidentally releases an evil wizard played
by Alfred Molina, and after he and Cage battle it out, Cage traps them both
within a magical jar for the next ten years. Cut to ten years later, when the
kid grows up to be Jay Baruchel--a whiny, sniveling loser who makes Clark Kent
look like a hulking he-man. And it was at this point that I began to wish that we had stayed back in the enchanted days of ancient England, because that looked like a far more interesting time than what we’re seeing right now. As much as I like Nic Cage as an actor--and I’ve enjoyed some of his more quirky films than most people--I just couldn’t warm up to him here.
Cage appears to be going though the motions in a film that’s filled with impressive special effects, but with nary an original or creative thought behind it. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is supposedly based on the popular Mickey Mouse section of Fantasia, where Mickey gets into trouble in a funny scene with magical brooms and mops. That scene is recreated here with Barucel, and instead of being charming, like the original, it’s just very annoying. While Cage isn’t performing up to his usual hyperkinetic level, Barucel is just plain irritating. The Woody Allen nebbish meets Harry Potter shtick just isn’t working, and Barucel winds up dragging the film down in every scene he’s in--which is pretty much the entire film.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a very well-made film, technically speaking. And
director Jon Turteltaub, who worked with Cage before on the much better
National Treasure films, shows off New York City very nicely here. But the scenic views of the Big Apple, along with the special effects, just don’t hack it, here. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice lacks the heart of the Harry Potter films, as well as also lacking the wit and fun of the National Treasure movies. And if you’re going to have a young hero who’s being groomed to save the world, it would really be a big help to either tone down the screeching geek factor, or at least get a better actor who can handle comedy.
--SF
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