Jason KingThe Sorcerer's Apprentice (7/10)
September 7th 2010 08:18
:
A Great Family Film
Category: No Category
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (7/10)
This film has copped an undeserved hiding by the press in the US and I am disappointed that critics saw a different film from me. It is a superbly presented big blockbuster made for the family and not for critics and Nic Cage haters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you have kids, and especially boys, they will love this.
Master Sorcerer Balthazar Blake is one of the three sorcerers trained by Merlin himself. Merlin is murdered and one of the sorcerers turns evil and joins up with evil Morgana to attempt to ruin the world and bring forth an army of the dead. Balthazar manages to trap the evil Maxim and Morgana in a vessel of mystical powers. There they will stay until the one can be found who will become Balthazar's apprentice and will be able to weild magic without the need of a talisman. Balthazar searches for hundreds of years until he finds Dave, the one. Unfortunately Dave is only about 10yrs old and in the ensuing battle upon finding him Maxim and Balthazar are trapped in a vase for another ten years. Upon their leaving of the vase Dave is grown up and the training begins prior to the battle for mankind.
Nic Cage is pretty good and convincing as Balthazar Blake and plays it very down toned. So down toned that occasionally he could be asking himself what on earth he is doing in this film, paying off tax bills I hope Mr Cage. However I actually enjoyed him and his subtle acting and he has the best wig in this movie that he has ever had and I found his hair worthy of a great sorcerer. I just love Jay Baruchel in this film and every other he has been in. He plays the geeky guy so well but still has an inner strength. He was perfect in How to Train Your Dragon and he is perfect in this. That voice of his is so distinctive - every time he speaks I picture Hiccup.
The scene where he realises his powers actually had me choked up - it was like Luke discovering he was a Jedi or Harry first making his Patronus appear. It was a birth of another great magic moment.
I also loved, when I was a child, the films that started with an ordinary kid stumbling into a great different world. Like The Never Ending Story, a sad and lonely kid reads a book and ends up in another universe, or the kid who gets a cool present in Gremlins. This had the same feel for me - the young Dave, played really well by youngster, Jake Cherry from Night at the Museum films, is led by fate into an antiques store, where his future as a Sorcerer is predetermined. He tries to hide it, and goes through abundant counselling in the ten years following his first encounter with sorcery not believing it happened, but fate and sorcery want him and he can't hide from it. I just loved it.
Besides Nic Cage, Jay Baruchel and Jake Cherry the film offers up some great acting talent. Alfred Molina is in his element as Maxim and while I thought he could have been more menacing you must note that this is a Disney film and is made for kids, he is probably menacing enough for them. Monica Belluci is Balthazar's love interest and while she is not in the film enough to fully appreciate her she is still good. Alice Krige is the evil Morgana and she does it well, She is just creepy by nature and I most remember her as the Borg Queen from Star Trek, she is sexy and scary all rolled into one. And I can't forget Australia's own Teresa Palmer as Becky Barnes, Dave's love interest. She is ok but nothing outstanding. She is a good partner for Dave and will soon be seen in the next Mad Max film. Finally there is Toby Kebbell as Drake Stone, an over the top commercial magician who is really an unpracticed master sorcerer from a long family of sorcerer's - he is basic comic relief and plays an idiot - he may get on some adult's nerves, but kids can at least laugh in his face
The film is directed by Jon Turtletaub who directed Cool Runnings, the National Treasure films and some episodes of Jericho (loved that show). I think he does a splendid job with this and has a real Disney feel to his directing. His use of decent actors, great story for kids and well used specil effects make for a great film. There is some amazing special effects in this film - from flying metal eagles, dancing brooms and mops in tribute to Mickey Mouse's Sorcerer's Apprentice in Fantasia and some spectacular dueling sorcerer effects, some of them even on parr with Harry Potter magic effects, the one scene where Maxim pushes himself through water is brilliant. I also want to note some great tribute scenes. One I have already mentioned about Fantasia, the other two I can think of is a great little Star Wars tribute "these are not the droids you are looking for" - I cracked up. I also enjoyed when Dave goes to lift up a relic on a pedastal and he looks around prepared for the beggining of Raiders of The Lost Ark. I felt these added immensely to my enjoyment and they will fly over most young kids heads but give the adult viewer some entertainment.
This film won't win awards and may not be for everyone, especially most adults whose hearts have turned to stone but if you have kids then take them to this one and if you are like me and still are mentally a 16yr old kid then you will love it. Out this Thurday 9th September and I am even going to watch it again and am taking a group of 10yr olds to it for a birthday party. I am also actually looking forward to a possible sequel. Woot. Have a Great Day.
This film has copped an undeserved hiding by the press in the US and I am disappointed that critics saw a different film from me. It is a superbly presented big blockbuster made for the family and not for critics and Nic Cage haters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you have kids, and especially boys, they will love this.
Master Sorcerer Balthazar Blake is one of the three sorcerers trained by Merlin himself. Merlin is murdered and one of the sorcerers turns evil and joins up with evil Morgana to attempt to ruin the world and bring forth an army of the dead. Balthazar manages to trap the evil Maxim and Morgana in a vessel of mystical powers. There they will stay until the one can be found who will become Balthazar's apprentice and will be able to weild magic without the need of a talisman. Balthazar searches for hundreds of years until he finds Dave, the one. Unfortunately Dave is only about 10yrs old and in the ensuing battle upon finding him Maxim and Balthazar are trapped in a vase for another ten years. Upon their leaving of the vase Dave is grown up and the training begins prior to the battle for mankind.
Nic Cage is pretty good and convincing as Balthazar Blake and plays it very down toned. So down toned that occasionally he could be asking himself what on earth he is doing in this film, paying off tax bills I hope Mr Cage. However I actually enjoyed him and his subtle acting and he has the best wig in this movie that he has ever had and I found his hair worthy of a great sorcerer. I just love Jay Baruchel in this film and every other he has been in. He plays the geeky guy so well but still has an inner strength. He was perfect in How to Train Your Dragon and he is perfect in this. That voice of his is so distinctive - every time he speaks I picture Hiccup.
The scene where he realises his powers actually had me choked up - it was like Luke discovering he was a Jedi or Harry first making his Patronus appear. It was a birth of another great magic moment.
I also loved, when I was a child, the films that started with an ordinary kid stumbling into a great different world. Like The Never Ending Story, a sad and lonely kid reads a book and ends up in another universe, or the kid who gets a cool present in Gremlins. This had the same feel for me - the young Dave, played really well by youngster, Jake Cherry from Night at the Museum films, is led by fate into an antiques store, where his future as a Sorcerer is predetermined. He tries to hide it, and goes through abundant counselling in the ten years following his first encounter with sorcery not believing it happened, but fate and sorcery want him and he can't hide from it. I just loved it.
Besides Nic Cage, Jay Baruchel and Jake Cherry the film offers up some great acting talent. Alfred Molina is in his element as Maxim and while I thought he could have been more menacing you must note that this is a Disney film and is made for kids, he is probably menacing enough for them. Monica Belluci is Balthazar's love interest and while she is not in the film enough to fully appreciate her she is still good. Alice Krige is the evil Morgana and she does it well, She is just creepy by nature and I most remember her as the Borg Queen from Star Trek, she is sexy and scary all rolled into one. And I can't forget Australia's own Teresa Palmer as Becky Barnes, Dave's love interest. She is ok but nothing outstanding. She is a good partner for Dave and will soon be seen in the next Mad Max film. Finally there is Toby Kebbell as Drake Stone, an over the top commercial magician who is really an unpracticed master sorcerer from a long family of sorcerer's - he is basic comic relief and plays an idiot - he may get on some adult's nerves, but kids can at least laugh in his face
The film is directed by Jon Turtletaub who directed Cool Runnings, the National Treasure films and some episodes of Jericho (loved that show). I think he does a splendid job with this and has a real Disney feel to his directing. His use of decent actors, great story for kids and well used specil effects make for a great film. There is some amazing special effects in this film - from flying metal eagles, dancing brooms and mops in tribute to Mickey Mouse's Sorcerer's Apprentice in Fantasia and some spectacular dueling sorcerer effects, some of them even on parr with Harry Potter magic effects, the one scene where Maxim pushes himself through water is brilliant. I also want to note some great tribute scenes. One I have already mentioned about Fantasia, the other two I can think of is a great little Star Wars tribute "these are not the droids you are looking for" - I cracked up. I also enjoyed when Dave goes to lift up a relic on a pedastal and he looks around prepared for the beggining of Raiders of The Lost Ark. I felt these added immensely to my enjoyment and they will fly over most young kids heads but give the adult viewer some entertainment.
This film won't win awards and may not be for everyone, especially most adults whose hearts have turned to stone
but if you have kids then take them to this one and if you are like me and still are mentally a 16yr old kid then you will love it. Out this Thurday 9th September and I am even going to watch it again and am taking a group of 10yr olds to it for a birthday party. I am also actually looking forward to a possible sequel. Woot. Have a Great Day.| 67 |
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