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MY RATING: 6.8

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

DIRECTED BY: Jon Turteltaub

PRODUCED BY: Jerry Bruckheimer

STARRING: Nicolas Cage; Alfred Molina; Jay Baruchel

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: After a search lasting centuries, Merlin's pupil finally takes on an apprentice of his own...a physics geek.

PROS: A number of humorous/satisfying moments. Well developed back-story.

CONS: The characters are too superficial with bad acting; Magic system explained scientifically; Poorly written.

BOTTOM LINE: Quite honestly, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is nowhere near as classic as its counterpart in the Fantasia segment. While clever in its conception, the delivery was poorly mastered.

If you want to see a film that will give you a short break from life and will not inspire deep thinking, I would recommend The Sorcerer's Apprentice. While the origin of the story is interesting, little else demands attention.

Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is a sorcerer working in modern-day Manhattan. He is searching for the one who will be his apprentice, the one who will be able to wear Merlin's Dragon Ring. But the tables turn when his biggest nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina), escapes from his imprisonment. Bent on freeing his former mistress Morgana le Fay, Horvath needs only eliminate the only one who can defeat Morgana, a college student named Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel). Balthazar finds Dave Stutler first and makes him his apprentice. Together they must put an end to Horvath and Morgana. But can Stutler save the world and juggle his love life at the same time?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice had several redeeming attributes. In addition to awesome fireballs and magic flying everywhere, the back-story was rather interesting. Balthazar was the apprentice of Merlin and the whole story is a clash of ancient magics that span centuries in the past. A few moments of good acting were delivered, usually from Nicolas Cage and Alfred Molina who made a great pair.

However a few good marks can't make up for the rest. First of all, the script was poorly written. The story seemed to be driven by the writers instead of the characters themselves, making the plot seem convenient and not realistic. The actors seemed to be trying too hard to play their parts making them look somewhat superficial and cliché. But, what by far annoys me the most is that they tried to explain magic. Magic is just that...magic. The folks at Disney, of all people, should know that. I don't care if magic comes from the unused 90% of the brain (which is a myth by the way), but I'd rather enjoy some mystery. So they can use a little magic, I DON'T care how. That's called suspension of disbelief people. Ok, I'm done.

My advice to Disney is: great idea, let it rest 5-10 years and remake it. Maybe then they'll do it right. Don't get me wrong, this film may be just what the family needs. It provides a relaxing escape and is completely appropriate for children. Watch it with the family if you wish. I'm sure the kids won't care if magic is explained or not.