Directed by Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean), "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a movie of yet another reluctant young hero Dave, who is inevitably dragged into a major battle of which his destiny is to save the world from you-know-who.
The story begins with the fall of King Arthur's Merlin at the hands of villain Morgana (Alice Krige). On his deathbed, he leaves his knowledg e and powers to his three disciples, Balthazar (Nicolas Cage), Veronica (Monica Bellucci), and Horvarth (Alfred Molina). But alas, Horvarth – having lost in the field of love to Balthazar – defects to the dark side. The latter then managed to contain the evil one in a doll but only at the expense of his true love, Veronica (Monica Belluci) trapped along with them. Now, to save her, he seeks Merlin's successor and found him in the form of Dave, a nervous nerd, played by Jay Baruchel (voice of lead character in "How to Train your Dragon"). The 19-year-old student from New York University, however, is more interested in Becky (Teresa Palmer) than saving the world with a shaggy-looking old man. Nonetheless, he is left with no choice.
Excitement for this film was built on the premise of a great magical journey supported by CGI. This, the film delivers and much – too much – more. Nicely placed battles near NYC's landmarks such as the Times Square and Chinatown are festered with non-stop, noisy and over-the-top CGI effects. Fiery-blue balls, thunderous bolts and zipping streaks of lightning… we have seen it all.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice reminds us that a good movie is more than the sum of its parts. Much more is required than stringing great actors, good producers and average CGIs to make a film. That said, the summer flick might still satisfy the younger kids but disappoints the rest of us with its predictable plot; a total lack of imagination conjured in a film which ironically promises magic. In short, we much prefer the Disney version or re-watching Harry Potter, thank you.
Related link: The Sorcerer's Apprentice website
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And pssst - I thought Harry Potter was a bad movie! I actually stopped after movie 2. Am going to watch all now for Radcliffe and Watson though