Dave (Jay Baruchel) is, of course, unenthusiastic at the notion of becoming a sorcerer. After all, who would want to have magic powers, am I right? I get that the “reluctant hero” is something of an archetype in these sorts of stories but come on…what’s the downside of magic powers? Especially when you’ve already been marked for death by an evil sorcerer. Yet we’re subjected to Dave’s dance of reticence.
Cage is remarkably restrained in the film particularly given the fact that he’s playing an almost 1,500 year old wizard. Though, admittedly, when it comes to Cage the notion of “restrained” is relative. I’m definitely grading on a curve here. He still peppers his performance with Cagian quirks and odd phrasing. It’s Baruchel who is quickly wearing out his welcome for me. I loved him in the cult TV show Undeclared but found him grating in She’s Out of My League. His shy-boy, geek persona has devolved into a series of manic tics and halted speech patterns that border on grotesquerie. We’re clearly meant to find his nasally-toned, self-effacing nerdery (yeah, that’s a word now) endearing. Ironically, all it does is make me want to kick sand his face “Charles Atlas” style.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon) and directed by Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure), the filmmakers have certainly graduated from the school of “more is more”. And it’s these scenes of excessive special effects (SFX-S?) in which the film excels. Whether it’s shooting fireballs or engaging high-speed car chases through mirror-worlds the movie delivers on its promise of magical action. However, considering the source material would it be too much to ask for a little heart?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and 1 being Mr. Merlin, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice gets a 5.
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Nicolas Cage is EASILY one of the most eccentric people in Hollywood right now and at the same time one of the most successful box office draws of all time. He’s awesome! He’s responsible for Johnny Depp being an actor, owns/owned a DINOSAUR SKULL, and just rocks. Here’s more than enough proof:
http://www.digitallizardproductions.com/daily-fournication-07.14.10--why-nicolas-cage-is-crazy-cool.html
How can you not like the guy or at least not find him extremely interesting after reading that?