24 May 2012

Great Movie!

I saw this one in the theaters when it came out and liked it so much I had to own a copy. Gave it to my little girl for Christmas.

24 May 2012

The Sorcerers Apprentice

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo+Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) Love it. I can watch the Blu-ray on the Blu-ray player and the DVD "regular" disc everywhere else. If I ever need the digital copy, I have that too.

Floated2

24 May 2012

A fun entertaining sorcerers film

I didn't really have high expectations going into this film, but I wasjust looking for a fun and exciting film, and that's basically what Igot. Its mainly about magic and sorcery which makes the film prettygood to watch. The characters are quite good and likable. Jay Baruchelplays his role great as he nails the role. He's done this characterbefore so its not stretch for him. Nic Cage was decent, he could havedone better though. In my opinion what makes the film work is that it'sdone with a sense of fun. Likewise you wonder why the movie has a titleof the famous classical music piece that gave Mickey Mouse his greatestrole in "Fantasia," until Dave tries the same trick cleaning up hislaboratory. The CGI was nice, and their are good action sequences. Thefilm has its entertaining moments but at some times it can seem alittle boring. The ending was very good as it hinted somewhat for asequel. That would be pretty interesting to see done if done right!

Jobert

23 May 2012

Fun, family-friendly adventure

Based on the poem that inspired the animated short in Disney's Fantasia, Jon Turteltaub's The Sorcerer's Apprentice is the latest big-budget Hollywood tentpole film from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. And, true to form, it's a slick, loud, and generally entertaining two hours at the cinema.Nicholas Cage plays the 'sorcerer' named Balthazar, a 1,000-year-old sorcerer who studied under the legendary Merlin. After being betrayed by Balthazar's friend, and fellow Merlin pupil, Horvath (Alfred Molina), Balthazar wandered the Earth, looking for the true heir of Merlin so that he may stop Horvath for good and free Balthazar's long lost love, Veronica (Monica Bellucci). His centuries-long quest has led him to Dave (Jay Baruchel), a shy kid in New York who just happens to be the heir of Merlin.Fast forward about ten years and young Dave is a college student who's life is turned upside down when Horvath sets out to look for a magical doll that has trapped Merlin's nemesis, Morgana (Alice Krige). Balthazar enlists Dave's help in tracking down said doll and put an end to Horvath's schemes once and for all.If the above sounded like the plot to a kids' adventure book, that's actually the feeling I got when watching The Sorcerer's Apprentice. That's not to say this movie is like a bad children's book; it's actually pretty good, if predictable. As with Turteltaub and Cage's last few outings (the National Treasure flicks), this movie is paced rather quickly, with just enough explosions to qualify this as a summer movie. The only time the story slows down is when Dave tries to get with fellow college student Becky (Teresa Palmer), who also happens to be Dave's childhood crush.Jay Baruchel is fun to watch in this movie, and holds his own very well against Cage. Though Baruchel is pretty much being type-casted in this role, there's no denying he's pretty good at playing the geeky, awkward twenty-something who likes the pretty girl next door. Nicholas Cage, on the other hand, is a bit of an anomaly here. From what I understand, Cage got on board the project rather early, and has been one of the driving forces to get the movie made. His performance was pretty average, even at times seeming like he's just phoning it in. I kind of expected him to be a just little crazy, especially having spent the past millenium looking for a boy who just might be the next great sorcerer.Alfred Molina is fine here, but nothing that special. His 'Horvath' is your typical suave, snobbish villain that could easily be found in a James Bond movie. He does have a sidekick in the form of Drake Stone (Toby Kebbell), who's actually pretty funny in some scenes. I would've also liked to see more of Monica Bellucci, as she's relegated to basically a cameo.I could easily see this as being a pretty fun book series, a la the Harry Potter or Percy Jackson franchise. There's colorful characters, a magic-meets-science approach to the supernatural, and a fairly epic, century-spanning struggle between good and evil. Although a little long (at almost two hours), The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a fun, family-friendly, adventure that should please the kids.

21 May 2012

Fantastic Fantasy for the Family

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) A fun movie good for all ages. Really, the movie didn't get the credit it deserved from the critics. The characters are likeable, there's plenty of action, magic and even a love story. Definately worth it!

pgb2001

20 May 2012

Modern spin on the famous rivalry of Merlin and Morgan Le Fey.

Whatever your view of Nicholas Cage you've got to love him in movieslike this. He has a unique way of carrying them off with his laid backdesperation which is almost an oxymoron. He is brilliantly cast in thisrole of Balthazard and I find myself smiling even at some of his weakerdialogue. Nick never takes himself too seriously, always has fun and itshows.He is ably supported by Alfred Molina as the villain while theapprentice and his girlfriend Becky provide a modern twist to the storyand hopefully draw in younger audiences.The battle of good against evil may be commonplace in most actionmovies but if it written well and acted well it rarely fails to please.This movie is a lot of fun and a good night out.

18 May 2012

Cage

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (DVD) First saw the movie at the theater and love it therefore when it came out on DVD had to add it to my collection. Nicholas Cage as usual is great in this movie and all supporting actors, the special effects make this movie seem so real.

18 May 2012

Sorcerers Apprentice

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (DVD) I had already seen movie before I purchased it so I knew I loved it, why can't more movies be made without them being "R" rated. This is a good example of wholesome family entertainment

dromasca

17 May 2012

not too much magic

'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' is designed on a very clear and often usedformula of the Disney family movie with special effects, and it holdsno surprises - in any case neither too bad, nor too good ones. A murkymagicians legend told in a rather confuse manner sets the action some13 centuries ago, then another prologue ten years before the actionintroduces the second set of characters who meet in contemporaryManhattan for a less than plausible magician film, with dragons andiron hawks fighting to save mankind. If it sounds kind of stupid thisis because so it is. You do not expect too much logic in these scriptsnowadays.One does expect however magic to come from different sources in suchmovies, and I mean cinematographic magic. Special effects maybe, andhere the film delivers at least in part with some nice ideas with aslight retro nuance. Sympathizing with the characters, here the successis partial, Cage is OK but the main young lead (Jay Baruchel) is asawful as a young nerd can be in real life and he could not convince mehow the girl (Teresa Palmer, OK as well) fell for him with all hismagic powers. We are thus left wondering why talents like Cage orMonica Bellucci sign for such films, and the answer is that they needto make a living while waiting for the next better script.And yet, towards the final I started to care. This is not little thingtaking into account the artificial characters and story. The finalaction scene was well done also. The other really good moment is thereference to the other apprentice, the one from the classical animated'Fantasia' of Disney. If this film brought that superb classic to theattention of some young generation movie goers, than it had met atleast one good purpose.

17 May 2012

Fun Fantasy

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (DVD) As always Amazon was right on top of things. The order process was easy and quick and we received the movie in a timely manner. The move is great. We saw it at the theater when it came out and was anxious to have it in our video library. My husband and I thought it was an inventive and fun movie.

hedgehog117

11 May 2012

Loved it wish it was longer

I'd give it and 8.5 if I could. I loved this movie, my only problem wasit seemed to go by too fast. That was probably in my head but I hopethey release an extended edition on DVD. It was funny, it wasinteresting and it was action packed. Although some of the plot wasn'texactly groundbreaking, it wasn't the parts that counted. Romance canonly get so revolutionary. The action was great coupled with thespecial effects made it highly enjoyable. I loved the bit with Merlinand am looking forward to a sequel. I recommend this movie for teensand preteens, but maybe not for adults. It was darker than most Disneyfilms, which I enjoyed but it may still be too childish for someadults.

11 May 2012

loved it

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) Loved the movie - Nicole Cage is just the BEST!!!!! I had not seen the movie before i purchased it. BUT was happy that i did!!!!

11 May 2012

Our family loves this show

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) Tragically this movie did not get the love it deserved in the theaters. I blame Disney for the lackluster marketing push -- although I will say that they pleased me immensely with a snatch of Depeche Mode music in one of the trailers. Anyway, this movie is good fun. It's the kind of movie you watch for pure enjoyment.

10 May 2012

Loved it. Family favorite 7 - 52

We did not see this movie in theatres due to the mixed reviews, and, boy, are we sorry we didn't see it there, on a big screen. This is a fun-filled, not too scary, not too sappy, yet intelligent with enough twists and turns to make it exciting and not too predictable. We all loved it and have already watched it twice even though we just got it. We are a faml of four ranging in age from 7 to 52. We believe in entertaining movies. We don't get hung up on how closely they follow a book since we know this is impossible, and we don't get hung up on whether or not storylines are realistic, since again, they are movies. Watch this and enjoy it!

09 May 2012

5 STAR GAMING

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo+Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) EXCELLENTE SERVICE, REALLY REALLY GREAT. FAST AND EASY. THE MOVIE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. ANYTHING YOU NEED TO BUY IT: 5 STAR GAMING IS THE RIGTH PLACE. I'M HAPPY WITH THIS PURCHASE.************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ME AGRADO EL SERVICIO AL CLIENTE, RAPIDO Y FACIL. LA PELICULA EN EXCELENTE ESTADO TAL Y COMO LO DESCRIBEN. SEGURO VOLVERE A COMPRAR CON 5 STAR GAMING. DE VERAS ESTOY MUY SATISFECHO CON ESTA COMPRA.

edwbur

08 May 2012

Disneys best of the year

For one if anyone has seen Prince of Persia it wasn't the best butwasn't the worst. But this one the sorcerers apprentice was amazing. ithought it wouldn't be good but i was surprised. Nicolas Cage knockedit out of the park and he was the reason i saw it another time. Theother cast was good to but Nicolas in my opinion was the best of emall. another reason why i saw it was because it liked National Treasureand Harry Potter and i heard that if you liked both of those movies youwould like Sorcerers Apprentice and the review was right. most of thetime Disney movies never disappoint. Alice in Wonderland, Old Dogs, andthe 3 Pirate of the Caribbean movies were all great movies to me. givethis movie a chance. Jerry Bruckeimers shows and movies neverdisappoint to most people. Hope you like it

07 May 2012

You gotta work at it to be THIS bad

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (DVD) Boy, reading all the glowing reviews of this makes me wonder if we actually saw the same movie. Surely all those reviewers can't be the director's mother...are you guys absolutely sure you're talking about "The Sorcerer's Apprentice?" The new one with Nicholas Cage?For me, Disney movies seem to fall into just two categories: Really great and really stupid. Sorcerer's Apprentice hits squarely in the latter. Pity, too, because Jay Baruchel isn't horrible as the protagonist. This mess offers up a semicoherent plot with every kidcool contrivance the Disney execs can shoehorn into the movie--wizardly sorcerers, bolts of lightning, flying steampunkish gargoyles, Merlin, megacool cars, etc., etc. Nicholas Cage stars as an ages-old protege of Merlin, seeking the new "Merlinus" (Baruchel) who will--well, it's never quite clear what he's supposed to do, but what he actually does is disobey orders and wind up sorta starting a wizard war all over again. Cage pretty much sleepwalks, almost as if he's embarrassed to wake up (don't blame him). He's (spoiler) brought back to life at the end of the film but if I'd been him I'd have insisted on staying dead, eliminating all chance of a sequel.TSA also kicks in a few outdated and faintly insulting stereotypes, seasoned with plenty of ham-handed allusions to much better movies. The concept--that sorcerers employ energy and the untapped parts of the human brain to do stuff on a molecular level--is interesting, but they never really do much with it.If you're into the whole wizard thing there are dozens of movies that are much MUCH better..pass this one by.

07 May 2012

Really more about the sorcerer than the apprentice

The Sorcerer's ApprenticeSynopsisOne of Merlin's three apprentices, Morgana, steals a spell that can raise the dead before murdering Merlin. One of Merlin's other apprentices, Balthazar, is tasked with finding Merlin's heir as he will be the one to defeat Morgana and save the world...ReviewNic Cage pulls off yet another creepy role (his ability to portray a man that you would never want around your child is simply amazing). The movie manages to have a very Jerry Bruckheimer feel, a perfectly fluffy popcorn movie with an overly dramatic soundtrack and some overly cheesy slapstick moments. This movie is mostly action, with a little bit of plot stuck in between the action sequences. So if you're looking for a fairly good movie that won't make you think, this is the movie for you.Favorite Quote:These are old man shoesExcuse me?I love them... alot.My RecommendationThe one and only reason that I recommend seeing this in the theaters is that the effects look great on a big screen. Some of the magic is simply lost when it's moved to a TV... Plus, it's kid friendly so it's a good break on a hot summer day.4/5 - Wait for a sale/coupon (or matinée)

RichardSRussell-1

06 May 2012

Much To Like, But Attempts at Humor Unduly Lame

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1:49, PG) — Fantasy: Sword & Sorcery; 2ndstring; originalWe open with a whirlwind of back story from Britain in the year 740.Merlin has a mortal enemy, Morgana (Alice Krige) and 3 trustedapprentices: Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), Veronica (Monica Belluci),and Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). He should have trusted only 2 ofthem. Horvath, jealous of the spark between his fellow apprentices,betrays Merlin. In his dying action, the great wizard merges Morganainto Veronica's body and entraps them both in a wooden doll, theGrimhold. Subsequently, Balthazar ensnares Horvath (and eventuallyother wizards as well) in outer shells of the growing matryoshka.We jump to modern times as a busload of grade-school kids are on afield trip in the Big Apple. Dave Stutler has a crush on his cuteclassmate Becky Barnes, but before he can find out if it'sreciprocated, he's led into an old curio shoppe, the Arcana Cabana,where proprietor Balthazar quickly determines that Dave is the PrimeMerlinian, the heir to Merlin's powers, for whom he's been searchingfor over 1200 years. An unexpected contretemps occurs, Balthazarvanishes, and Dave is humiliated before his classmates.Jump another decade into the present, where Dave (now played by JayBaruchel, most recently heard as Hiccup in How To Tame Your Dragon) isa physics TA at NYU and again encounters Becky (Teresa Palmer), withwhom he'd lost contact years ago. He's still smitten, but just aboutnow Balthazar re-appears with word that Dave really needs to assume themantle of wizardry that Merlin intended for him, because Horvath isplanning to bring a thoroly ticked-off Morgana back from her longcaptivity. Dave would rather pursue Becky and his research, butBalthazar makes some compelling demands on his time. And they're off...There are many things to like about this movie: • Its complex plot takes audience intelligence for granted. • Unlike most movies involving magic, this one actually thinks thatscience has learned enuf over the centuries to make a contribution in ashoot-out. • Similarly, it recognizes that the non-magical characters havesomething to contribute, instead of just being gawking bystanders. • Unlike most Jerry Bruckheimer productions, this one doesn't blastyou out of your seat with explosions and heavy weaponry, but thetoned-down special effects are on a nicely human scale. • When Dave finally explains to Becky that he's a sorcerer, she's seenenuf crazy stuff that she doesn't engage in the trite cycle ofdoubt-abandonment-revelation-belief-return. She just pitches right inwith a "How can I help?" attitude.But here's the downside: • As a certified physics nerd myself, I'd dearly love to believe thatthe awkward, schlubby guy can get the drop-dead gorgeous girl, but theyjust didn't sell it. • Director Jon Turteltaub is way too fond of fast cuts, making itdifficult to follow the action. • At one point, Dave is trying desperately to clean up his undergroundlab before Becky comes over, and he animates the brooms, mops, andsponges; sets them to work; and leaves. "Really?" I thot to myself."Really? They're trying to get us to believe he's the only adult inAmerica who can't picture what happened to Mickey Mouse under the exactsame circumstances?" But on they go. • But they don't have the courage of their convictions. If you'regoing to rip off a scene from Fantasia, then for glory's sake, GO forit: Get a Leopold Stokowski-quality orchestra to back it up! • And that leads me to my biggest overall complaint, which is thatthey tried for the occasional bit of light-heartedness but really kindof floundered at pulling it off.The Sorcerer's Apprentice bears a strong resemblance to last year'sCirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (which I rated 7), the butlatter played it absolutely straight. That's one way to go, andblending serious drama with caprice (a la the lovely Stardust, which Irated 9) is another. Neither is innately superior. The trick is, theconcept alone doesn't suffice: You've gotta execute!So this one comes in 1 tick down the scale from TVA, not something thatI recommend to all SF&F fans but at the top of my "up to you" range.And really, having seen the previews for the Cats & Dogs sequel, youcould do lots, lots worse! (OTOH, Inception, with midnight showingsthis Friday, looks abfab!)

Movie_Muse_Reviews

05 May 2012

Despite fun sorcery, Apprentice doesnt have intangible magic or broad appeal

Nicolas Cage and director John Turteltaub found a certain magic withthe "National Treasure" movies, so it's not surprising that Disneyturned to them again in hopes of turning another existing property inthe form of the infamous "Fantasia" scene into a possible franchisestarter. A story of ancient sorcery and modern action in present-dayNew York City, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" puts some cool pieces on thegame board, but ultimately lacks an "it" factor to captivate itsaudience.The story begins with an expository prologue (never a good omen for afantasy film) explaining that the infamous wizard Merlin had threeapprentices: Balthazar (Cage), Veronica (Monica Bellucci) and Horvath(Alfred Molina). When Merlin's great rival Morgana was at her mostpowerful, Horvath turned on the three. Veronica sacrificed herself bycontaining Morgana within her and Balthazar trapped her and Horvath ina magical nesting doll of sorts. Thousands of years later, Balthazar is in New York City searching forMerlin's successor (know as the Prime Merlinian -- an unfortunate punon longitude's Prime Meridian), who's the only one who can put an endto Morgana forever. In 2000, a young Dave Stutler wanders into his shopand -- and you believe it -- Merlin's ring fits him. However, Daveaccidentally release's Horvath from his doll and Balthazar traps themboth again for another 10 years. The experience "ruins" Dave'schildhood, but 10 years later Balthazar seeks college-aged Dave (JayBaruchel), needing his help to stop Horvath who plans to free Morganaand finish what they started.Balthazar takes in a somewhat reluctant physics geek Dave as hisapprentice, although Dave would much rather court Becky (TeresaPalmer), a girl from back in his grade school days who he discoversalso goes to NYU. Baruchel is effective in his typical socially awkwardguy going after the girl role. He's quite adept at turning cornyfantasy exposition/explanation from Cage and making a joke of thecheesiness of it all. The trouble is that Baruchel is hard to identifywith if you're the target pre-teen boy group Disney's going for. Dave's"in college" and Baruchel has a background in R-rated comedy, so he'snot enticing for younger viewers. Women also have nothing to like hereas Becky is more the geek's dream girl type character who doesn'tfactor into the fantasy story except for a small (yet "critical") part. So with no one's attention but the geek audience, it's no surprise"Apprentice" struggled at the U.S. box office. It's a shame because thefilm does some creative and cool things. The way the modern context andthe magic blend is often executed creatively like in the dragon chasescene in Chinatown when Horvath unlocks a long-fingernailed sorcererfriend of his to try and stop Dave and Balthazar. Molina gives thevillain the class a good villain ought to have, the only troubleremains that his plan to unleash Morgana so they can raise an army ofundead is less than inspiring.Part of the "it" factor that's missing lies in the fact that nocharacter truly steals any of the film as, say, Johnny Depp did in"Pirates." Sure, that's the perfect example, but Cage, albeit funny attimes, has no unique characteristics. Part of this also lies in thathe's written to give a lot of the explanation and doesn't get todevelop a special personality. The writing team has put thesecharacters in a creative and well-established universe, but they simplydo nothing memorable with it. Turteltaub gives the actions sequencesome razzle dazzle that entertains, but "Apprentice" ultimately fallsshort of being memorable.As a fantasy geek close to Baruchel's age, watching Cage and ourprotagonist fling plasma balls around along with other varioustricks/curses makes great fun. Also, seeing the naturally gorgeousPalmer, who plays the chill awesome no-drama pretty girl so well, fallfor the nerd, takes unfair advantage of my nerd sensibilities. But notonly am I not who Disney wanted to go see this film, specifically, buteven I can detect that "Apprentice" is a few ingredients shy of aguilt-free romp.~Steven CVisit my site at http://movimusereviews.com