The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010/Disney Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack)

 

Picture: A-     Sound: A-     Extras: C     Film: B

 

 

Nicholas Cage has made a slue of flops of the past few years, but with a number of films in production and the success of Kickass maybe Mr. Cage is ready for an upswing.  The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is loosely based on Mickey Mouse’s character from the classic film Fantasia.  It seems that after the surprising success of Pirates of the Caribbean Disney looked to see what other commodities they could turn into film franchises.  First there was The Country Bears, which flopped.  Then there was Eddie Murphy’s Haunted Mansion, which flopped.  Finally, though not their franchise per say, the recent Prince of Persia was not all too thrilling either. So needless to say I did not have too much faith in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

 

I was fully expecting The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to be a family friendly waste of time that mind numbingly lacked substance and depth.  Surprisingly, however, the film manages to go above and beyond to deliver not only stellar performances, but also a fun film with heart and an interesting plot.  I was also expecting the film to be overloaded with bad CG, but surprisingly the film nicely blends special effects with reality making for a pleasing visual experience.

 

The star of the film, Dave (Jay Baruchel), is for lack of better words a genius.  While other kids are playing sports, Dave is a master of physics.  When Dave was a mere boy he had a run in with a supreme wizard named Balthazar (Nicholas Cage) and a violent, mess of run in at that.  Balthazar was one of Merlin’s three apprentices (the King Arthur Merlin) and strives to hold true to the virtues Merlin taught.  Unlike Balthazar, fellow apprentice, Horvath (Alfred Molina), wavered in his teachings and sided with the most evil, dark wizard of all time, Morgana.  In a Harry Potter-esc manner, Dave is the chosen one.  It has been prophesized that a person (wizard, more specifically) exists who will destroy Morgana.  Dave is given a ring by Balthazar that proves he is the “chosen one” as it wraps around his finger and suddenly we are off on a journey of magic and might.

 

In this film I finally feel the Nicholas Cage I loved in so many films is back.  He is absolutely nuts in all the right ways and manages to bring life to the film.  The chemistry between Baruchel, Cage and Molina is amazing and they work incredibly well off of each other.  On the topic of chemistry it is interesting the manner in which magic is described in this film.  Whereas, yes there are spells and such, it is more so emphasized as a higher science; embodying physics, chemistry and much more.  I see big things for Baruchel, who is already a growing star.  It is Molina, however, who with his amazing talents and character acting abilities who steals the show and overshadows both Cage and Baruchel.  The film is family friendly, yet totally engrossing.  It has been a while since there has been a great magic film, but Sorcerer’s Apprentice truly delivers with clever writing and interestingly diverse characters.

 

Just as stunning as the film itself is the picture and sound presentation.  The picture is presented in an amazing 2.40 X 1 1080p that is demo quality for sure.  Disney delivers again with brilliant colors, deep inky framing blacks, solid contrast, perfect shadowing and an overall splendid presentation.  The fine detail and crisp image makes this demo quality that can be viewed over and over again.  The sound is just as nice in its 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48Hz/24 Bit) presentation delivering booming bass, precise dialogue and well balanced immersive sound.  From beginning to end you are surrounded by sound with brilliant panning effects that make use of the full speaker range.  Immersive is the best way to describe the presentation and again is demo quality.

 

The extras include the following:

• Magic in the City
• The Science of Sorcery
• Making Magic Real
• Fantasia: Reinventing a Classic
• The World’s Coolest Car
• The Fashionable Drake Stone
• The Grimhold: An Evil Work of Art
• The Encantus
• Wolves and Puppies
• 5 Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Making of Sorcerer’s Apprentice (found on the DVD)
• Deleted Scenes (found on the DVD)

 

 

The bulk of the extras are short tid bits (less than 3 minutes) and the other behind the scenes looks (usually less than 15 minutes) don’t offer too much content or anything of interest.  What I would have really liked was a full audio commentary with the stars, but no such thing is found here, sadly.

 

A great, fun film that the whole family can enjoy; there are even a series of nods to other films like that of Star Wars.  Great writing, acting and directing made this feature a definite win for Disney.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II