Ever since the completely abysmal 1998 film Snake Eyes I have viewed Nicolas Cage’s career as being tepid to horrible, with the noted exception being the films he made in 2002. In stark contrast to the 1980s and 1990s, my interest in a film quickly evaporated if I heard Cage was involved. So, it was with much trepidation I went in to the screening of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. My initial reaction? Nic, all is forgiven, you rock, man! Seriously, this is the Nicolas Cage that was in Leaving Las Vegas and Guarding Tess and Peggy Sue Got Married, not whoever that was in Gone In 60 Seconds or Ghost Rider or Knowing. A return to greatness and it’s about time. I sincerely hope this continues.
As for the film itself, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a pretty great film. Oddly, the story itself is not wholly original or fresh, but the way it’s all packaged and delivered is extremely fun to watch. The actors look like they are really enjoying themselves as their performances just pop off of the screen. I particularly liked that parallel lost-love storylines between Cage’s Balthazar Blake and his erstwhile apprentice, Jay Baruchel’s Dave Stutler. There are also some nice small touches along the way, from the occasional integration of science and technology with the magic and sorcery to the labeling of good and bad magicians as Merlinians and Morganians, respectively, to the great homage to the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence from Fantasia. I saw this in a packed theater and the entire audience was equally engaged in the film with everyone gasping, laughing and cheering at all the right moments and not at all in a forced way.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is one of those rare films that can be watched by the entire family without frightening the little ones or being too dumbed down for the oldest ones. It’s smart, clever and just fun as hell. Catch this one in the theaters immediately and plan to pick it up on DVD for repeated viewings at home.
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