THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
By: John ’Doc’ Strange
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci, Toby Kebbell
MPAA Rating: PG (for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language)
Selig Rating: Full Price
Runtime: 151 Min.
One thousand years ago, Merlin (James A. Stephens) and Morgana (Alice Krige) fought a horrible battle. Merlin is mortally wounded in the battle. Only when one of his three apprentices, Veronica (Monica Bellucci), sacrificed her own life to trap Morgana is Merlin able to trap her in a special container. Of the other two, Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) is entrusted to find the “Prime Merlinian”, the only sorcerer who will be able to defeat Morgana and end this once and for all.
What of the third apprentice? That is Horvath (Alfred Molina), who has switched sides to fight for Morgana. Eventually he is added to the people trapped in a layer of the trap. Spelled never to die as long as he is searching, he travels the world to find this Prime Merlinian.
Jump to 10 years ago. A class of ten-year-olds is on a filed trip to the city. One of them, Dave (Jake Cherry), is a dreamer and very talented. Chasing down a piece of paper that will tell him whether the girl he loves wants to be his friend or girlfriend, he stumbles into a shop where he meets Balthazar. Based on a hunch he try’s Merlin’s ring, the only way to find out if someone is the one. The ring reacts for the first time in all of those years. Telling Dave to not move or touch anything, he races off to get something.
Dave is an awkward young man and unfortunately, the outer layer of the trap is breached. Horvath escapes. He and Balthazar fight only to be trapped on a special jar for ten years. Traumatized, Dave races out of the building to escape the fire started during the fight. He is holding the trap and he drops it His whole class is outside. The teacher opens to door to find, everything looks OK.
Jump to present day, Dave (Jay Baruchel) is in college studying physics. Dave’s love interest, Becky (Teresa Palmer) is attending the same school. Balthazar and Horvath are released from the jar that trapped them. Thus begins a film whose only homage to the animated original of the same name is a cleaning scene similar to the one drawn for Mickey Mouse. This film is an excellent story which stands on its own.
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE gives you lots of action, and special effects with Nicolas Cage doing his normal (excellent) job of humor and action. Throw in the acting skills of this very good cast, awesome CGI and special effects, and some very good stunt gags that looked amazing and you receive a tight package that will delight the kids and enthrall the parents. I had a great time watching this film and think you will as well.
Movie Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/sorcerersapprentice/#home
