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 Nicolas
Cage’s transformation from fearless indie movie maverick to family film
star has been an odd fit. It’s hard to accept the same guy you saw
doing Elvis’ kung fu boogie alongside Laura Dern’s hyper-fertility dance
in Wild at Heart and eating a very large cockroach in Vampire’s Kiss
being the favourite of the kindergarten set. I keep expecting Cage to
explain that this era of his career is some kind of performance art
experiment; hence his brilliant backslide into more adult fare as a
homicidal vigilante dad training his cherubic little girl to maim and
kill in the underreceived Kick-Ass.
Even so, Cage has hung in with the kiddie flicks tenaciously, becoming a
bankable star for Walt Disney Studios. Still, no matter what the
uniform, it’s still Nic Cage under there and in The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice we get a glimpse, however sanitized for your children’s
protection, at Cage’s famous quirk and off-beat sense of humour.
Centuries ago, a mystical battle of Arthurian proportions took place
between the legendary wizard Merlin’s forces of good and Morgana le
Fay’s league of bad news. It was a war that sustained the loss of
Merlin himself and one of his acolytes, the bewitching, beloved
Veronica. Madame le Fay and her henchman, Horvath were capped and
stowed inside an innocuous-looking matryoshka doll guarded for centuries
by another one of Merlin’s students, the faithful Balthazar. The lonely
sorcerer keeps the fires burning for both his old master and Veronica,
his old flame, spending eons of time seeking out the one in millions who
will be the next Merlin, able to right the wrongs done in the last
battle of the magi. That great wizard is a shlubby kid from New York
City called Dave. An unexpected foray into the crazy antique shop that
doubles as Balthazar’s mystical lair shows elementary school-era Dave
sights not meant for sane eyes and his retelling of the tale gets him
branded a loon. Now in college and far less accepting of the
possibility of magic than he was as a child, Dave finds the sudden
escalation of inexplicable phenomena happening around him a little
difficult to take, regardless of the cool looking dragon ring that
nestles around his finger as if it always belonged there, mostly because
it does. The dragon ring is the indicator of the new Merlin, and
Balthazar, needing to keep the young man alive after his most bitter
enemy, Horvath is freed from the nesting doll, recruits Dave as his
apprentice, training him in the magical arts he is born to use. The
only problem is that Dave, having been burned once by all things
mystical and well on his way to a fine romance with his childhood
sweetheart, isn’t ready to give himself over to Balthazar’s rigorous
demands or the craziness that being a sorcerer’s apprentice has in store
for him.
Director Jon Turteltaub, who helmed Cage’s popular National Treasure
films, has certainly got a handle on the fun inherent in the movie’s
premise; which is essentially an origin story that’s one part Harry
Potter and other part Spider Man. Using the very real streets of New
York City as a backdrop for some highly unlikely events only makes The
Sorcerer’s Apprentice that much more fantastic. With much of the
filming taking place overnight, the blue haze that coats the city adds
to the feeling of magic in the air and anything being possible. Some
standout special effects moments include Dave’s pursuit by a very large,
very cool dragon released by another escaped evil wizard in the midst of
Chinatown’s explosive New Year festival. Balthazar’s mode of escape is
provided to him by a New York signature as one of the gleaming, silver
art-deco eagles that guard the gorgeous Chrysler Building swoops in to
save both the sorcerer and his new lackey. There’s also some great
mirror tricks played during a high speed chase through the city streets
and of course, no film called The Sorcerer’s Apprentice would be
complete without some housekeeping gone awry. Strangely, this scene
isn’t the most impressive in the film, but Turteltaub makes an effort to
give the overenthusiastic mops and buckets a bit of personality. The
defense training between Balthazar and Dave also falls a bit flat as
Dave’s big weapon is a blue energy blast reminiscent of a very watered
down version of Dragonball Z’s Kamehameha wave. Also a bit
underwhelming is the final battle between Balthazar, Dave and Horvath,
which loses momentum after the film runs a bit too long and spends too
much time on Dave’s love life. It just isn’t that spectacular after the
wonders seen earlier throughout the film. However, it is fun to see
another New York icon, Di Modica’s Charging Bull Wall Street statue
stamp its hooves on the side of the bad guys.
Cage
is clearly enjoying playing the half-mad, obsessed Balthazar and he’s
great in his too-few scenes with Alfred Molina as the oily, droll
Horvath. More of these two chewing scenery would have been its own
special effect. Similarly, Alice Krige is woefully underused as Morgana,
the evil enchantress in another example of ‘more please’. As for the
rest of the cast; Toby Kebbell plays a recruit of Horvath’s, a cheesy
pop magician cross between Criss Angel and Adam Ant. Kebbell, in
bleached blonde Kajagoogoo coiffure, should be applauded for strutting
about in a pair of ridiculous New Romantic high-heeled boots without
breaking an ankle. That’s real magic. Jay Baruchel is serviceable as
the Apprentice of the title, basically remaking a role originated by
Mickey Mouse, but the character isn’t any great stretch for any one of a
number of “nebbishy” actors running amok around Hollywood these days.
None of these thoughts will enter the heads of the little folks in the
audience who will sop up this movie with a biscuit. Despite a few fits
and starts in its pacing and dragging too long in its last act, The
Sorcerer’s Apprentice is amusing and clever and generally a good time.
It’s a summer movie that will entertain the whole family and lots of fun
to see on the big screen.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
July
16th, 2010
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