“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is an action-adventure produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, which means that there will be loads of stunts and special effects. When used appropriately, I have nothing against special effects, but its application here is entirely for the sake of business.
This is not a good movie, but its degree of badness doesn’t deserve hate. A movie can be considered successful if it generates a profit and, at the same, satisfies its audience. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was created with a goal to make money. It features enough magical flames and lightning bolts to make a trailer that will attract many young boys, but that’s about it. The story, as shallow as it already is, doesn’t cause any level of excitement. What the movie is really about is the display of the characters’ magical abilities, which is unfortunate because the magic isn’t even that, cool. “Tron: Legacy” got away with its impenetrable plot because, well, The Grid looks awesome.
We begin our story somewhere around a thousand years ago. An evil sorcerer, Morgana, supported by another evil sorcerer, Horvath (Alfred Molina), is battling against good sorcerers Balthazar and Veronica. Balthazar, played by Nicolas Cage, is soon able to trap the two evil ones inside a Grimhold, which is “an inescapable prison.” To ad drama, Veronica gets stuck with them. Now, Balthazar is in search of The Prime Merlinian, the sole sorcerer who can “destroy Morgana once and for all.”
You see, Morgana is a lot like many other villains. She wants to destroy the world. What she plans after that we will never know. Maybe she’ll destroy the next planet, and the next, and the next. A villain’s work is never done. Yeah, so she needs to be destroyed even though she’s trapped in “an inescapable prison.” Would destroying her mean releasing her first, putting our planet’s health in danger? How should I know? I am not a sorcerer.
Anyway, centuries have passed, and only a few things in the world remain unchanged. That includes Nic Cage’s haircut. It is at this time where Balthazar finally meets ten-year-old Dave, the prophesized Prime Merlinian, in New York. Dave is also the one who accidentally releases Horvath, who later releases Morgana, but anyway.
Fast forward another ten years, and Dave is now a science geek who specializes in Tesla coils. He encounters his childhood crush Becky, but they are interrupted by Balthazar and Horvath, and the search for the missing Grimhold is on. The search causes action sequences where fire balls, plasma balls, and standard dialogue are exchanged from one sorcerer to another. Also, a steel eagle, a dragon, and all sorts of sorcery are displayed all throughout New York, which is immediately noticeable for every functioning human eye, except those of New Yorkers.
The story of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is without thought, and the effects are without imagination. Why so many plasma balls? Where were the citizens of New York during this fight to save the world? The movie, I’m sad to say, doesn’t care.
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