Review of The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) by Justin H — 04 Aug 2011

Well, this movie adaptation of the 13-minute Mickey Mouse short wasn't as terrible as I would have thought; it's just unremarkable. Yeah, there are some pretty special effects, but if that's all it takes to entertain you, you might as well pay someone $10 to jingle their keys in front of your face for nearly two hours. The story is serviceable, but ultimately hampered by a rather unlikable hero. Dave (the titular apprentice) is a socially awkward klutz whose attempts to woo his childhood sweetheart come off much more stalker-ish than charming. And even if his character possessed any endearing qualities, he still suffers from something I call Chasing Amy Disease. Put simply, that's when a prominent character in a film has a voice that makes you want to either strangle them, or stick an ice pick in your ears. Here, Dave, despite being 20 years old, often sounds as if he inexplicably hasn't hit puberty yet. And something about that just irritated me to no end.

Bottom line, while "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is no "Harry Potter," it's not a -bad- movie either. Sure, that trademark of Disney live-action films of forced, lackluster attempts at humor crops up from time to time, but TSA is much more watchable than some of its ilk. You could do a lot worse for a family-friendly action flick, but you could do a lot better too.