Review of The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) by Filipeneto — 13 Jun 2020

The relationship between the Sorcerer's Apprentice and Disney Studios is quite old. Almost all people has seen, I believe, the famous film whit Mickey Mouse dressed as a wizard, enchanting brooms to do the cleaning without so much effort. This time, the studio set aside its famous mouse and decided to create a whole new story around the Apprentice. And the fact is that it was worth it, it resulted in a very interesting film.

Everything takes place in today's New York city, where a millennial magician, a former apprentice of the famous and long-deceased Merlin, looks for the one who will be the mystical heir of his master and the great hope to defeat the powerful and cruel Morgana, imprisoned for centuries but alive and with faithful followers, willing to free her. It turns out that when he finally meets the young man who appears to have all the qualities necessary to be the new Merlin, things get out of control and it becomes necessary to give him intensive training as the duel with Morgana quickly approaches.

Fun and light, this film is basically a fantastic imaginative adventure, very well done. At no time did I feel the film drag or become boring. Although it is a Disney movie it is not an animation and it does not seem very suitable for children. It is not violent or has provocative scenes, but the theme and content are complex and young children are unlikely to understand what they're seeing. For example, does a child, aged six or seven, know what a Tesla coil is? The ending is pretty clear from the beginning, but I still like it. Something predictable but good and consistent is preferable to something unpredictable that doesn't match the rest.

The cast is headed by Nicholas Cage in the role of Balthazar, who is responsible for teaching the new Merlin. He's good but, I don't know why, it looks like a lot of other works from his past. I don't know, I wasn't convinced by his performance. Not to mention that, at times, he just seemed too theatrical. Alfred Molina is a good villain, but he is also affected and theatrical sometimes. Perhaps the fault of this excess of theatricality was the writer, not the actors. Jay Baruchel and Teresa Palmer are the two teen actors in the film and they did their job very well, curiously in a more natural way than their "adult" colleagues, and it seems to me that they created excellent chemistry together. Toby Kebbell also made a good contribution, in a character that is funnier than threatening. Alice Krige and veteran Monica Bellucci also help, in important characters who appear less on the scene.

Technically, the film stands out for its visuals, combining modernity with vintage elements in sets, props and costumes. Cinematography is very good, with a skillful use of light and shadow, good visual effects and CGI, which make magic look real in most cases... although that eagle did not appear to be made of metal. The scene where Baruchel charms brooms to quickly clean his laboratory is copied from classic Disney animation, and worthy of anthology, making the connection between these new film and the classic animation that the studio did more than 70 years ago. The soundtrack has an epic and adventurous sense, works well and fits the final product.