The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010): Cage is the Saving Grace Here [Joey’s Review]
According to the internet, THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE was a movie that kind of came into being — or at least came into #CageClub being — when Nicolas Cage said he wanted to act in a movie where the world contained magic. With that in mind, I don’t want to be too critical of this film, because when you look at it through that lens, as a pure visual spectacle, the movie works. There are so many moments in this film that are amazing to look at — especially the confetti scene in Chinatown — that it’s hard not to like it.
A lot of the rest of the movie, though, is groan-worthy. I really like Jay Baruchel (though neither Mike nor Tobin seemed to care much for him), so I didn’t mind when he was on screen. But his character’s arc is awful. I get that it’s a movie for kids, but we’ve seen other movies for kids with plots and stories that don’t make you groan. I know you don’t want to be the chosen one who has to save the world, but that’s what life threw your way. Deal with it, kid, and stop whining.
Cage is the real saving grace of the movie. Whether or not I have Stockholm Syndrome is up for discussion, but there are multiple lines he delivers in this movie that made me laugh out loud. Not only that, but had they been delivered by someone else, I would have, once again, groaned. Some of the things he says are so cheesy, corny, or cliche, but his delivery just sells them. He’s really trying his hardest here (as is always the case), and it shows. He’s great in this, and it’s a treat to look at, but there’s that.
Part of the problem here is that the film doesn’t really know how to tell a story. They throw so much info at you so quickly at the start of the film that it’s hard to figure out who’s who and what’s going on. In the film’s first few minutes, we meet like 5 characters that we’ll need to remember. Things go by so fast that Cage and Monica Bellucci are on screen, and I didn’t recognize either. It’s a whirlwind of an info dump, and it’s too much, too fast. (Also, Merlin gets shanked and dies.)
There’s a weird sense here that the film owes a debt of gratitude to FANTASIA. We get a shot of the sorcerer’s hat after the credits, and there’s even an homage to the mop scene that feels incredibly out of place here. Without Fantasia, there’d be no sorcerer’s apprentice. I get it. But it’s not like they tell the same story, so including that mop thing is a fun nod that doesn’t quite work. Want to put it in? Fine. Just toss it over the closing credits or something. It doesn’t fit the world they’re building.
Like the NATIONAL TREASURE movies, there’s not much point in being overly critical here; they’re aiming more for entertainment than art, and they hit their mark (for the most part). The special effects are great — especially the scenes where everyone’s slinging magic around — so it’s worth checking out for the visual effects alone. The end of the film sets up a sequel, but I doubt we’ll get one. If there is? I’ll watch it, of course… as long as Cage is there, too.
How can I watch it? You have to pay to stream this one, or buy the DVD for a few bucks more. Or skip it. Up to you!
What’s up next? It’s a slight detour as we talk about WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY!
