The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – movie review

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, from Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer, is an interesting take on one of Fantasia’s most beloved sequences.

Back in 740 AD, Merlin was defeated by the evil Morgana, but beforehand he gave his ring to Balthazar.  He told Balthazar that the ring would help him find the Prime Merlinian, who could defeat Morgana.  Balthazar manages to trap Morgana in a magical prison, called a grimlock, that resembles stacking dolls.  Over the years, he adds layers with Morgana’s followers, including Horvath, one of Merlin’s apprentices who betrayed him.  Balthazar also searches for the child who is to grow up to defeat Morgana.

In the year 2000 AD, in New York, Dave Stutler is a slightly geeky fourth grader with a crush on a girl named Becky Barnes.  Dave gives her a note to ask if she’ll be his girlfriend, but it gets away from him before he can read the answer.  He chases the note through the streets of New York, and it leads him to Balthazar.  Balthazar gives him Merlin’s ring and finds that Dave is the Prime Merlinian.  Soon, however, Horvath manages to escape.  A magic fight ensues, ending with Balthazar and Horvath trapped in an urn.  Dave, frightened by the whole thing, runs out–only to see his class, who relentlessly taunt him.

Ten years later, in present day, Dave runs into Becky again and thinks that he finally has a second chance with her. However, Balthazar and Horvath are freed from the urn, and they both go to find Dave, who they know as the last one to have the grimlock.  Balthazar takes Dave on as an apprentice while they try to keep the grimlock from Horvath.  

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice wasn’t the most horrible movie I’ve ever seen, but it certainly fell flat.  It had quirky geek humor, lots of action, and great special effects.  I love Nicolas Cage when he plays crazy people, and he certainly didn’t disappoint me in this performance.  However, it felt like the movie was trying to fit too much into too little time, and certain parts are rushed and feel undeveloped.  The story had potential, but it moved so fast that it couldn’t fulfill it.  Much like Fantasia, the most memorable part of the movie is the sequence with the rogue mops that have a mind of their own–and, as expected, Mickey Mouse did it better.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice would probably be really good for those who like lots of action and special effects but don’t necessarily care about well-developed story lines.  I can’t even recommend it for children in general, because one child in the audience with me fell asleep in the middle.  Even if you like Nicolas Cage or Alfred Molina, who both give excellent performances, it’s still a movie that I would wait to rent.