Abracadabra! You’ve got a blockbuster

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This article was published 14/07/2010 (5532 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jerry Bruckheimer is the kind of old-school film producer who would look at the massively successful Harry Potter film franchise and ask himself: It’s OK, but where are the car chases?

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, then, is Bruckheimer’s response to Harry Potter. Instead of wrapping it in Olde English atmosphere with an intricate cast of characters, the Bruckster delivers something slick, urban and ironic. And never mind that one of the heroes is a disciple of Merlin: it’s extremely American.

Bruckheimer even piggybacks his movie on a revered Disney property, a strategy that worked well for the producer of that grand, senseless Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, based on the crappy Disneyland ride of the same name.

Cannibalizing the "Sorcerer’s Apprentice" segment of Fantasia, starring Mickey Mouse, Bruckheimer and functionary director Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) formulate a supernatural buddy movie.

The aforementioned ancient sorcerer is one Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), the last wizard standing in a medieval conflict that saw the death of Merlin and the mystical imprisonment of Merlin’s nemesis Morgana (Alice Krige), her treacherous acolyte Horvath (Alfred Molina) and Balthazar’s beloved Veronica (Monica Bellucci).

Fast forward many centuries later to New York City, where Balthazar patiently seeks the foretold "Prime Merlinean," a descendant of Merlin so powerful, he or she will be able to finally vanquish Morgana once and for all. He finds him in the unlikely embodiment of Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a student at New York University.

Baruchel may have embodied foul-mouthed horndogs in various Judd Apatow productions, but here he is a nice chaste guy still in love with his one-time elementary school crush Becky (Teresa Palmer). Dave feels he may be able to win her heart, until Balthazar appears on the scene to give him the news that he has a somewhat larger destiny to save the world from the evil forces of black magic.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice dances on the precipice of being just another empty variation of that other Bruckheimer summer franchise entry The Prince of Persia, which layered big visual effects onto a formulaic plot.

Fortunately, Apprentice has a few tricks up its sleeve, and they’re all actors.

The first is Brit actor Toby Kebbell as Drake Stone, a drolly pretentious magician in the mould of Criss Angel who’s all too willing to back Horvath’s plans for wizardly world domination.

Cage’s casting is even more fortuitous. He has always been one of Hollywood’s most oddball movie stars, and here he puts his eccentricity to use in the service of a distinctive kid-movie hero.

But one must especially admire the casting of Baruchel as Dave. The antithesis of the young, hunky Hollywood hero (we’re talking about you, Prince of Persia star Jake Gyllenhaal), Baruchel is skinny, homely, he has a voice like a busted reed instrument, and he is absolutely more worthy of your moviegoer investment.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca