Film Review | The Sorcerer's Apprentice

And therein lies my problem with Nicolas Cage.

Bare with me.

He is a lauded actor, landing not only prestigious awards but highly challenging and interesting roles too – his turn as the alcoholic Ben Sanderson in Leaving Las Vegas won him an Oscar; Adaptation and Matchstick Men gave him the opportunity to do high-brow crazy to great effect. But he also insists on starring in a variety of mainstream blockbusters, an effort which is hit-and-miss, to put it mildly. When the character isn’t nuanced enough – or when his madness or general manic vibe isn’t justified by the plot – the smoke and mirrors do can’t hide the stark fact that Cage, well… never really acts. He gesticulates and pulls faces with great energy, sure, but it’s all rather ham-fisted: the Oliver Stone school for thesps. 

Teamed up with Hollywood uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Cage’s ‘one size fits all’ madcap routine did not augur well when it came to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The trailer basically confirmed that this was a cynical affair from the start. It ticked all the right boxes just too perfectly: the all-too-familiar coming of age story centres around Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) a physics nerd humiliated in his pre-teens by an encounter with the sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), after he stumbled into his curio shop and released the nefarious sorcerer Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Flash forward ten years, and Dave is pushing his way through college, having had his brush with the dueling sorcerers explained away by a spot of therapy. But this film being a Disney co-produced blockbuster, we already know where it’s all headed. It turns out the unassuming Dave is really the next ‘Prime Merlinian’, and it falls to Balthazar – who formed part of a trio of sorcerers led by Merlin against the evil Morgana la Fey – to ensure that Dave lives up to his destiny. But while the socially inept Dave is excited by the lease of life magic gives him, Becky (Teresa Palmer), a childhood crush, reappears and begins to show interest in our bumbling protagonist… all the while Horvath schemes the destruction of the world as we know it. 

Given that the film had six screenwriters, the already standardised premise completely lacks any freshness, though it succeeds in what (one can presume) it attempts to do: get as many bums on seats as possible, both kids and those nostalgic for similar tales from Disney and beyond (Star Wars, anyone?). Where a strand of mainstream films have gone cerebral and gritty, this is popcorn entertainment that follows formula with such dogged determination that it simply can’t fail. 

Which is not to say that the end result isn’t enjoyable, even to adults. Sure, this is the kind of production in which money is just thrown at potential script problems or effects pieces, so don’t expect to be wowed by craftsmanship or choreography: this is theme park dazzle gone expensive (just as that previous Bruckheimer success, The Pirates of the Caribbean saga, was based on a Disneyworld ride) – and it satisfies in the exact same way fast food does: quick, dumb and direct, leaving no aftertaste. That said, there are moments of inspired wackiness. The film’s tribute to its cartoon predecessor in Fantasia is a delight: Dave decides to use his newfound sorcerer’s powers to clean up his basement before Becky comes to visit… but the plan backfires as the mischievous (and by now legendary) brooms prove too headstrong for the amateur wizard. The generous amount of magical explosions that characterise the rest of the action set pieces are, like Cage himself, rather hit-and-miss: but when they work they are great fun – a car chase close to the finale, complete with morphing vehicles and mirror-worlds, hints that amongst the six scribes, some true inspiration may have lain. It’s just a pity it was smothered by a committee and the predictable demands of a Bruckheimer blockbuster. 

Directed by John Turteltaub (Instinct, National Treasure), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is shot through the metallic tints of New York, any obvious fairy tale innocence jettisoned in favour of urban-based supernatural warfare that recalls, more than anything else, the 1998 Godzilla remake. Like the quick-fix casting of Cage, this reminds us that the film is nothing except an unapologetic blockbuster that cares little for atmosphere; but simply delivers on the formula: no more, no less. Competent it is. Magic it ain’t. 

RATING: TWO STARS