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A
movie is supposed to
be an escape. It’s
why they spend
millions of dollars
on special effects
and CGI. It’s so we
get immersed in the
characters and the
stories. Sure there
are exceptions and
some movies are
meant to make you
think about your
life and the world
around you. But
let’s just say 75%
of movies give you a
break from the
stress of your life
and you hang out
with friends and/or
loved ones and get
absorbed in a story.
That’s why Jerry
Bruckheimer movies
are successful and
to millions of
people that’s why
they’re enjoyable.
The
Sorcerer’s
Apprentice
had
more holes than a
piece of deli Swiss
cheese, but at its
nucleus it was a
great story with
some fantastic
special effects.
The story starts out
eons ago. Merlin and
Morgana le Fay were
in an epic battle
for control of the
world like only two
master sorcerers
could be. Morgana
manages to triumph
over Merlin- but not
before he can pass
along the world’s
hope of the Prime
Merlinian to
Belthazar. Belthazar
and his fellow
apprentice Veronica
manage to lock
Morgana in a Russian
doll. And there she
remains locked until
Belthazar can find
the Prime Merlinian.
Hundreds of years
pass by with
Belthazar still
looking for the one
person who can end
his torment, (he’s
able to look the
same age due to an
anti-aging spell)
until a young kid
happens to stumble
into his store… And
just happens to be
the Prime Merlinian.
When Belthazar
leaves to get a
relic that will end
Morgana’s existence
in the doll, David
mistakenly breaks a
relic, and one of
Morgana’s
sorcerer’s- Maxim
Horvath- escapes
from a relic and
begins a quest of
his own- to free
Morgana so she can
wake her dead
sorcerer’s so they
can come together
and destroy the
world. Of course
Belthazar goes on
his own quest to
stop them. Dave and
Belthazar part ways
for awhile- David
does everything he
can to forget the
whole experience
until Belthazar
pulls him into
sorcerery and the
two do everything
they can to squash
the evil Horvath and
Morgana and make
sure they don’t go
through with their
evil plan.
The
movie is great. Even
more than
The
Prince of Persia,
The
Sorcerer’s
Apprentice
is a Bruckenheimer
produced flick.
Everything is over
the top, not all of
it makes sense, and
with about twenty
minutes left in the
movie they put
things in a gear to
high and the story
doesn’t move the way
it should. That’s
the negative with a
Bruckenheimer flick-
the positive is
you’re getting great
actors, a HUGE
story, great use of
director talents in
Turteltaub, and some
great special
effects work in
several of the
scenes. Basically
what you can see and
feel you love, but
there’s not much to
think about once the
story’s over. That’s
not a good thing or
a bad thing, it just
is what it is. The
acting in
The
Sorcerer’s
Apprentice
is really the
strength other than
the production
quality. Nicolas
Cage stars and does
his typical good
work as Balthazar.
Jay Barachel
continues to be one
of the rising stars
in Hollywood after
How
to Train Your Dragon
and
She’s
Out of Your League.
Both are great in
their roles, Cage as
the annoyed but cool
master sorcerer and
Barachel as the
young apprentice who
awkwardly learns to
use magic.
The
audio and video on
the disc is Disney
Blu-ray so of course
it’s outstanding.
But there are some
great soundscapes in
the beginning and at
the end of the movie
that are
particularly
enjoyable on your
home theatre system
because they use the
back speakers
effectively. The
bonus features
section is also
great on the Blu-ray
with typical
commentary and
deleted scenes; a
cool bit on the
movie’s background
with
Fantasia
and another cool
feature talking
about Nicholas
Cage’s AMAZING Rolls
Royce and him
loaning it out to
the filmmakers to
make the movie.
The
Sorcerer’s
Apprentice
isn’t a stuffy movie
that we should look
at from several
different angles.
It’s a family
adventure produced
by Jerry Bruckheimer
that tells a great
story and provides a
unique 2 hour
adventure break from
the norm. There are
some flaws with the
story, particularly
with pacing and
let’s just say the
ending seems
awkward. Those flaws
included, it’s still
a fun movie. If you
pick this up you
will watch it more
than once and you’ll
enjoy it every time
you do.
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