This past weekend was chock full of movies for Jennifer and myself. We decided to use the wonderful birthday gift my parents gave me (some movie gift cards) on a double feature. Sorcerer's Apprentice and Inception (next post, don't worry). Long afternoon/night, but so incredibly worth it.
Disney could have done so much worse on Sorcerer's Apprentice. In fact, I'll even say that it was quite good. Honestly, I love fantasy films that are kinda set in the modern world. The story revolves around the life of Dave Stutler, an average guy who attends NYU for physics (you can see why I liked this movie. It gets better). As a kid, he accidentally stumbles into a mysterious shop and receives a dragon ring from Balthazar Blake, one Nicolas Cage. Now a college student, Dave bumps into Balthazar again and he finds himself in the middle of a centuries old battle of sorcerers. He must become Balthazar's apprentice if the powers of good stand a chance of survival.
Not my best synopsis yet, but I think I'm getting better at it.
The plot does just enough for the movie to keep it fresh and new, while obviously using many tried and true magical archetypes. Terms such as the "Prime Merlinian" kinda sounded cheesy but I can forgive that. The special effects were very nice to see. Although they weren't the cutting edge stuff you see in movies like Avatar (Dances With Wolves but with blue cat people), it was real enough to add the necessary fantasy element to it. Also the effects worked well with the actors and seemed to really be in-tune with their movements.
The thing that I enjoyed the most with this movie is it's connection with science. It attempts to ground this mystical art in physics and chemistry. A few posts ago, I posted a video of Balthazar talking to Dave about how a basic fire spell works. It all has to do with science and I truly enjoy that. The writers evidently knew a bit about physics when they wrote a pretty cool scene where Dave programs his tesla coils to vibrate at distinct frequencies, replicating a song that his love interest played on her radio show the night before. Obviously the girl was impressed and so was I. The directors knew a little about physics too. They made sure that Dave always went into a faraday cage before turning his coils on.
The only major slip up they made was at the conclusion of the movie. There is a large battle scene in which Dave "magically" makes a ring of park lights turn into a giant series of tesla coils. 1. This isn't possible. 2. It felt somewhat contrived. It seemed that the writers had no idea how the battle was going to work out so they pulled out some movie magic excuse and employed it here. How should Dave beat the villain? Oh, by employing something that we've been shoving at the audience since the very beginning! Eh.... not what I had hoped for.
Nicolas Cage actually doesn't suck in this movie. I apologize to all who read this who enjoy his acting. Personally, he just rubs me the wrong way and the only movie I've seen that I thought he was amazing in was Moonstruck. Fabulous. But he does a wonderful job in Sorcerer's Apprentice. He's edgy and gritty enough to kick ass but isn't a jerk. And the actor who plays Dave, Jay Baruchel, is truly perfect for his part. He's a master of awkward situations yet is secretly awesome inside. As I write this, I'm realizing that he actually never did that much magic throughout the movie. The most he does is at the very, very end. If there will be a sequel, I would hope that his magical skills are developed more.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. There is something for every type of audience member. Adults will get things that kids won't even see, and vise versa. Disney could have done much worse with this one.
Oh and if you do see this movie, look for the Star Wars reference. Truly my favorite part of the movie.
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