Dismissed by many among the film cognoscenti as shallow spectacle and proclaimed a flop by the media for raking in a mere $24 million on its five-day opening weekend — Disney’s second misfire after “Prince of Persia” — “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” seems positioned for box office oblivion. The wound, beyond competition from “Inception” and the circulation of films like “Despicable Me” and the powerhouse “Toy Story 3,” is arguably self-inflicted. Why did no one who read the script throughout the byzantine process of movie development suggest a more ambitious project? Even on paper, the plot of a boy’s apprenticeship to a sorcerer, loaded with the backstory of a struggle between Merlin’s and Morgana Le Fay’s followers, is exhausted formula.
As it is, what we have is a Disney product, delivered with gusto and polish by director Jon Turteltaub, rooted in the safest of all possible sales pitches: the story of a zero turned hero thanks to the magical elixir of self-confidence and, conveniently, a genetic predisposition to be The One who can save the world from evil. There’s a girl mixed up in all of this, of course, who might otherwise be inaccessible but proves a romantic match, and villainy with simple aspirations for world domination. Most of the film consists of chases and back-and-forth between good guys and bad over an artifact, Morgana’s doll prison, whose opening will have predictably terrible consequences.
None of it offers a reason to dwell on the why, or even the who, of the story; this film is wrapped up in the how of its visual presentation. But at least Turteltaub scores a decisive victory for cinematic confectionery. The costumes are rich and attractive, particularly Alfred Molina’s turn-of-the-century gentlemanly attire detailed with fur trim and an elegant spider pin. Special effects are exuberant. And the action set pieces are charged with kinetic energy that pushes the film onwards at a brisk pace.
Where Have I Seen This Before?
Tempting though it might be to stop there and leave it as nothing more than Jerry Bruckheimer’s excitable looting of a beloved segment of “Fantasia,” one shouldn’t overlook the irony that being lousy with clichés but thrilling to watch is not unique to this aspiring franchise. “Lord of the Rings,” though superior in many respects, remains a triumph of imagination and melodrama subjugated and dulled by a particularly unremarkable plot of aggressive war. In contrast, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is mercifully unburdened by delusions of grandeur on the scale of Tolkien as enabled by Peter Jackson, even if the production could have benefited from a stronger instinct for the epic. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a film that, like the best B-movies, succeeds better in pasting a goofy grin on faces than many of its more sophisticated A-list brethren. Partly, the cast’s pure likeability makes the characters persuasive for all that they are, in essence, familiar genre tropes. Alfred Molina brings wit and poise to his villainous role, along with an undercurrent of emotion and menace, which mark his Maxim Horvath as the sort of opponent you could share a civilized cup of tea with before rolling up the sleeves and dueling it out for the fate of the world. Charm, in other words, that contrasts with the often messy megalomania of the average movie villain. On the opposite side, Nicolas Cage is spastic, but entertaining, nicely inhabiting the part of a sorcerer named Balthazar who has been single-mindedly alive for longer than is probably good for the human mind.
As the titular apprentice, Jay Baruchel’s Dave Stutler is perhaps more emotionally clumsy than the typical movie geek — the product of a highly humiliating childhood experience — but at least Turteltaub doesn’t try to soften it the way Sam Raimi does with Peter Parker in Spiderman. In trying to connect with Becky, the childhood crush he becomes reacquainted with, we sense the struggle and insecurity in his pursuit. Better yet, for all that the romance is an obligatory element that follows a predetermined path, both Dave and Becky are conceived in a way that makes it entirely believable that they would be attracted to each other. Dave is awkward and painfully self-conscious, but also smart, considerate and brave. Teresa Palmer’s Becky Barnes could inhabit the stereotype of the popular pretty girl, but the screenwriters don’t make her out as a cheerleader or other upper-strata idol. A music buff devoted to college radio, she is instead that really nice girl who talked to everyone and, consequently, whom everyone liked.
It’s the special effects magic, however, that really elevates The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to the level of a giddy roller coaster ride. In looking at sorcery in recent films, we can only note with disappointment that in Lord of the Rings, Gandalf’s most accomplished feat was a change of clothes. It took the Harry Potter series to truly bring magic to life, and however much Chris Columbus is not the most revered director of the series, his charges — The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets — stand out for the wonder they have as magic. Not until the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort at the end of Order of the Phoenix does magic regain its power to awe. This is nit-picking, to some extent, since the outstanding Potter series is stuffed with magic both tricky, like tents that are bigger on the inside than the outside, and epic. Yet as the series progresses, the thrill of discovery takes a back seat to the characters and plot. Further still, it’s a vexing question why Harry Potter and his fellow students don’t obsess, like Hermione, with learning everything there is to learn, every spell, every magical creature. This is especially applicable to Harry, who did not grow up in a magical environment. So what do we get? Harry Potter running around shouting “Expelliarmus!” a lot.
In the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, dazzling surprises make sorcery the stuff of enthusiastic daydreaming again; Dave Stutler’s astonishment at witnessing and performing incredible feats becomes our own. Although the film is too busy to stop and offer explanations for who the sorcerers are and how magic works, what little theory we get positions the magic as an adjunct to science and not a replacement. And so, we get tesla coils alongside our animated metal eagles, plasma bolts, and, of course, homage to the original Fantasia segment. By the film’s end, the feeling of elation overrides other considerations and we can say, welcome back, magic. Welcome back.
Entertainment: ** (out of two)
Craft: * (out of two)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Directed by Jon Turteltaub. Written by Matt Lopez, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard. Starring Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci, and Alice Krige. 108 minutes. Rated PG (for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language).