The Sorcerer's Apprentice The Sorcerer's Apprentice
2010 Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Synopsis
It's The Coolest Job Ever.
Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness.
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Cage keeps it going aided by a good as always Alfred Molina. I don't understand why the Cage haters don't even realise that he always gives any film his all. That's more than can be said for most actors working today.
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Sorcerers, Dragons, Car chases and Science.
Put yourself into the mindstate of an 8 year old boy and you'll find a lot to enjoy here and can up the rating to 4*.
If the above is too much of a stretch for the imagination then leave the rating as is.
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Not even Cage - let me repeat that for emphasis - NOT EVEN NICHOLAS CAGE (caps lock too, now you know I'm serious) in full swing could save this movie.
In fact, I don't even know whether it was the script or the acting that was worse. I've seen Jay Baruchel in a few different movies now, playing a range of "that skinny dweeby character" type roles, or variations thereof, and I've never had a problem with him. But seriously, I found him quite annoying here. As I say, whether that was because of the horrendous expositional dialogue he was spouting throughout, or because of his performance, it's hard to tell. Probably a combination of both.
Overall, the film was…
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Way better than I was expecting. Say what you want about Nicolas Cage but he never phones it in. However silly the role is, he gives it his best shot in his typically Cageian way.
Jay Baruchel is great in this too, Michael Cera should watch his back cause they've both still got a few years to snatch up all those 'awkward nerd' roles.
This has universally bad reviews on this site, but it's a kids film, i's fun, it has Nicolas Cage riding a steel eagle while wearing a fedora. I couldn't ask much more of it.
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There's nothing particularly new in Jon Turteltaub's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but that don't stop it from being a well-made and mostly enjoyable film. It may not have the distinction of being very memorable by year's end but it is perfectly harmless popcorn fare that is highlighted by a good performance by Nicolas Cage as the sorcerer Balthazar. The story is self-aware of its own derivative nature and pokes itself for it, which takes some of the air out of the any flaws regarding that. Most importantly it never takes itself too seriously and Turteltaub keeps the film moving along at a nice, rapid pace. Alfred Molina makes a solid villain while Jay Baruchel stays firmly within the lines of his…
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Collaborating once again after the muck that was National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Turteltaub has cast a doggy-eyed Cage in his craptastic movie which has the jittery incompetence of a dodgy arcade game. Even in the opening sequence, its action set piece is choreographed in silly, skittish and laughable idiosyncrasy. Being a Jerry Bruckheimer production as well, his sensibility makes dense do of the place. If we're in New York City, let's find a number of noisily elaborate ways to disrupt us. And they all have to involve heavy machinery enhanced by CGI plainness. Cage and Molina sweep through the city, create havoc on every corner - the former's rock star hairpiece seriously requiring its own career. These movies are supposed to be fun and have some conviction! It was crass and totally dumb.
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Nu tovenaarsleerling Harry Potter het voorbije decennium ouders met nobele bedoelingen diep in de buidel liet tasten en de vampierensaga 'Twilight' hordes tienermeiden naar het cinemacomplex wist te stuwen, is het nogal wiedes dat überproducent Jerry Brückheimer de danse macabre met het fantasy-genre niet ontspringt. Na een pretparkattractie (de 'Pirates of the Caribbean'-trilogie) en een videogame (het woestenij extravaganza 'Prince of Persia') zet Brückheimer zijn inspiratieloze plundertocht dus verder met 'The sorcerer's apprentice' een moderne adaptatie van Disney's animatieklassieker ‘Fantasia'. Het resultaat is niet meer en niet minder dan een aardig gedoseerd niemendalletje.
In feite levert de producent steeds opnieuw dezelfde film, enkel in een nieuw gepolijst jasje: de koene held, een slungelachtige sidekick en een ravissante love-interest. Iedereen kent…
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There are enough tatters of a decent movie here to think it could have been salvaged. It is vital with a fantasy movie to avoid looking ridiculous, because people are essentially primed to look for it in a fantasy movie. The movie would nearly pull that off if it weren’t for the constant attempts at cringe comedy. Cringe comedy just doesn’t play well within the action movie genre; I don’t think even people who are fans of cringe comedy look for it in an action movie. Cringe comedy is centered around the notion that the subject is worthy of ridicule. Action movies, particularly fantasy, rely on the subject being believable; i.e., not worthy of ridicule. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a movie which essentially sabotages itself. Read full review.
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Nic Cage is Balthazar Blake, an ancient wizard, charged by Merlin with the task of finding the one child, "The Prime Merlinian" that can succeed him. Sounds like a fake trailer from Funny or Die. But it's not. It's the basic premise behind Sorcerer's Apprentice — well, if we ignore the core premise, only slightly less ridiculous, that involves building a feature film around a 10-minute, dialogue-free cartoon from 1940 about Mickey Mouse and some mops.
How, I wonder, did someone at Disney come to the conclusion that this 70-year-old scene needed to be repurposed for a feature-length film? It’s certainly not an obvious choice. A complicated back-story would have to be created, original characters introduced, and the stakes would…
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Wer im Kino einfach mal wieder den Kopf abschalten und sich gut unterhalten lassen möchte, der ist bei “Duell der Magier” genau richtig. Die banale Story ist dabei weniger der Faktor der einen ins Kino ziehen dürfte. Vielmehr ist es die Idee an sich. Klassische Zauberer, die sich mitten im modernen New York bekämpfen? Cool! Wenn dabei plötzlich eine chinesische Drachenpuppe zu einem echten feuerspeienden Drachen wird und die Stadt unsicher macht oder sich ein Schlitten aus den 20er Jahren in einen schicken Sportwagen verwandelt, macht es einfach Spaß dabei zuzusehen. Vor allem deshalb, da die Spezialeffekte wirklich gelungen sind. Alles wirkt wie aus einem Guss und nicht irgendwie künstlich. Man kauft es “Duell der Magier” in diesen Momenten einfach…
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Not even Cage - let me repeat that for emphasis - NOT EVEN NICHOLAS CAGE (caps lock too, now you know I'm serious) in full swing could save this movie.
In fact, I don't even know whether it was the script or the acting that was worse. I've seen Jay Baruchel in a few different movies now, playing a range of "that skinny dweeby character" type roles, or variations thereof, and I've never had a problem with him. But seriously, I found him quite annoying here. As I say, whether that was because of the horrendous expositional dialogue he was spouting throughout, or because of his performance, it's hard to tell. Probably a combination of both.
Overall, the film was…
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Collaborating once again after the muck that was National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Turteltaub has cast a doggy-eyed Cage in his craptastic movie which has the jittery incompetence of a dodgy arcade game. Even in the opening sequence, its action set piece is choreographed in silly, skittish and laughable idiosyncrasy. Being a Jerry Bruckheimer production as well, his sensibility makes dense do of the place. If we're in New York City, let's find a number of noisily elaborate ways to disrupt us. And they all have to involve heavy machinery enhanced by CGI plainness. Cage and Molina sweep through the city, create havoc on every corner - the former's rock star hairpiece seriously requiring its own career. These movies are supposed to be fun and have some conviction! It was crass and totally dumb.
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I have a bone to pick with this film, and with Nick Cage personally. (You can tell him I said so.) The character played by Cage is a blatant rip off of a fresh and much-loved literary wizard, Harry Dresden, created by Jim Butcher. It's my understanding that the sorcerer character in The Sorcerer's Apprentice was such a close resemblance to the Dresden character that rights to the novels had to be purchased in order not to be sued.
So you take the ideas of a popular character and the stories about him and you use them just as a model for a very generic character and film premise. Why bother?
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Loosely based from Disney's Fantasia, Sorcerer's Apprentice is fun and visually impressive. However, its very clichéd, acting is average and story predictable making it just another one-watch, average, live action kids film. The kids will love it though.
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Oh Balthazar! You rascal.