A Geeky Yet Charming 'Apprentice'

by Brett Parker

Growing up in my youth, my favorite kind of fantasy films were the ones where extraordinary things happened to ordinary kids just like me. It was great fun watching ordinary young people, who had crushes on girls, massive amount of homework, and big dreams, being whisked away to breathless adventures in which they faced perilous danger, nail-biting chases, and otherworldly sights. Titles like The Goonies and Flight of the Navigator spring to mind. I was thrilled by the idea that normal dudes like me could quite possibly be plucked from suburban normalcy and thrown into the kind of fantastical adventure that could only happen in the movies. Of course, it was always reassuring to know that no matter what threats or dangers the young hero faced, he would always end up safely back at home with a big smile and an even bigger sense of confidence.

As we arrive at mid-summer in the blockbuster movie season, it's easy to label The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the new fantasy ride from Jerry Bruckheimer and the National Treasure team, as a disposable, CGI-heavy moneymaker, which it more or less is. However, I found the film had a nostalgic charm reminiscent of the very fantasy films I just described from my younger years. As the film centers on the nerdy everyman charms of the shy string-bean Jay Baruchel, I was reminded of the protagonists of the live action Disney movies I enjoyed back in the day. Here's a soulless popcorn movie revolved around a dude who wears his soul right on his sleeve. His geeky charm becomes the movie's saving grace.

The film opens with a prologue in the King Arthur days centered around the legendary wizard Merlin (James A. Stephens), with his apprentices battling over his mystical powers. The evil Horvath (Alfred Molina) wants to be the most powerful wizard, leading him to team up with an evil sorceress named Morgana (Alice Krige). The virtuous apprentice Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) vows to put a stop to the evil duo and does so by encasing them in an ancient doll that will serve as their prison. As he carries out this plan, however, his lady love Veronica (Monica Bellucci) becomes trapped in the doll along with the villains and Merlin becomes fatally wounded in the process. Before he dies, the powerful wizard tells Balthazar that a successor containing Merlin's powers shall materialize one day and must learn his sorcerer ways in order to protect the universe. Merlin had cast a spell on all of his apprentices to stay young forever, allowing Balthazar to carry out his search for the next great sorcerer over the next few centuries.

Time passes and Balthazar has searched over many continents for the one who fits the profile of Merlin's successor. His search ends in New York City when he meets Dave (Baruchel), a painfully shy college student who is an expert in physics and social awkwardness. Dave lacks tact and self-confidence but nonetheless shows every tell-tale sign of being the next great sorcerer. In Dave's private studying quarters, Balthazar decides to teach Dave everything he knows so that he can get in touch with his inner-Merlin. Dave will have to learn quickly, for pretty soon Horvath is unleashed from his ancient prison and plans to destroy life on this planet as we know it. Can Dave overcome his personal defects and find his inner-sorcerer? Does this science nerd have what it takes to defeat one of the most powerful sorcerers in history?

The idea of modern-day sorcerers could make for a very plucky movie, but The Sorcerer's Apprentice only allows the simple thrills you would expect from a PG-rated-live-action-Disney summer-blockbuster ride. That means everything is reduced to candy-coated CGI effects that would only be of great excitement to kids under 10. The idea of evil dragons and giant eagles flying around could be exciting but have a mundane feel to it this time. Even the film's climactic save-the-world battle is reduced to a hand-grown laser beam fight that hasn't been original since Superman II. One effects sequence I really enjoyed was a trip through Mirror World, where everything is reversed as it would be in a mirror (in this case: all of Times Square). For those who haven't figured it out yet, this film is inspired by the Mickey Mouse sequence in Fantasia and there's a fun little scene here that pays homage to it. Like Mickey, Dave tries to magically make mops and brooms clean up his room without any human hands touching them. The music may be a bit different but the hilarity of the results are about the same.

Nicolas Cage, of course, has developed into one of the most eccentric actors we've ever known. In the past, he's gone so far over the top that he's sailed past the Milky Way while eating a banana. I think only Cage could make a whacked-out ancient sorcerer from Manhattan feel lived in. Here's a guy who's never had to strain to look cooky, and that serves this role perfectly. But this being Disney and all, he's not allowed to let his freak flag fly as wildly as you wished he could. Don't want to scare the kiddies. Could you imagine if Cage was as whacked out here as he was in Bad Lieutenant? Children would be running for the Exit while the grown-ups laughed hysterically! But hey, I'm sure it serves the role well that Cage could let loose bizarre insanity but holds back to keep a straight face. That's probably true of most sorcerers.

I never would've thought that Dustin Hoffman's performance in The Graduate would plant the seed for our current crop of Hollywood leading men, but let's face it, we are living in the shy-guy era! Geeky actors like Michael Cera and Jesse Eisenberg are flinging their inadequacies and awkwardness in every direction and audiences are eating it up. Leading men used to get all the girls, now they have no idea how to even talk to girls. I suppose John Cusack helped spawn this trend with his everyman earnestness, but at least he had, you know, game! Anyways, of this current crop of dweebs, I would have to pick Jay Baruchel as my champion. He's certainly the funniest-looking and appears to have the most depth of comic charm. The important thing is that he conveys a genuine nice-guy quality; you want to root for him. It says something that for all the film's magic and effects, the most interesting scenes are the ones where he tries to court his biggest crush Becky (Teresa Palmer, conveying equal measures of beauty and sweetness), an adorable blonde who is eventually won over by the big goof. As are we.

Even though we're on the level of a PG-rated pop ride, at least everyone involved holds steady rank. Director Jon Turtletaub (Cool Runnings, National Treasure) knows he's just having some Hollywood fun and keeps things on a poppy, inoffensive level of formalism. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer demonstrates his usual relentless need to please the audience, from it's reliable New York City location to the hipster-rock soundtrack. Alfred Molina attacks his cartoonish role like a true, dignified professional while Toby Kebbell brings the same sense of zany silliness he possessed in Rocknrolla to the role of Horvath's magician sidekick, Drake Stone. Plus it's always nice to see Monica Bellucci in focus, so there's something!

So The Sorcerer's Apprentice may be a disposable family-friendly flick, but you know what? So we're many of those fun fantasy flicks I saw as a kid. I ate them up with an intense joy and I suspect young kids just might do the same with this one. It's hero acts like a kid again, which in turn made me feel like a kid again, and its not every movie that can do that well, so I'll give this one the pass! It may get tiring watching flying creatures and magical powers over time, but it may never get old watching the nice guy win the cute blonde.