The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Uh, Oh, It's Magic!

[Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer]

RANT: Not much to rant about today. I did have to go to upstate New Jersey today to make critical electrical repairs to our Summer place, at least according to the notice received in the mail early this week. 150 miles round trip and a couple of 4 inch lag screws later, all was well again. But because of this unforeseen event, I did not get to the movies until very late this afternoon.

SYNOPSIS: After centuries of guarding the prison cell of the evil Morgana and searching for the replacement for the sorcerer Merlin, Balthazar comes across Dave, a young New Yorker who may be the Merlin's replacement and the only one capable of defeating Morgana once and for all.

The critics have been fairly vocal about the failures of Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" live action effort. And according to www.IMDB.com, the user rating is 6.1 out of 10. Are they right? For me, I can always find at least one positive point to a film, but I will try to be as objective as possible.

Director Jon Turteltaub reteams with his "National Treasure" star, Nicolas Cage, for Disney's remake of their classic animated Mickey Mouse sorcerer apprentice tale. A veteran director with numerous film and television episodes under his belt, and his experience with Cage, Turteltaub and Disney were poised to have another decent film on their hands. And the film is just that, decent.

Cage seems only a little out of place as one of three original Merlin apprentices. But only a little. He has been cast in a few questionable roles as of late, but this is not really one of them. As Balthazar, the apprentice sorcerer carries the weight of the loss of his sorcerer love, the betrayal by his friend during the battle with the evil Morgana, and the pursuit for the one who would be the next Merlin.

Jay Baruchel plays Dave, the kid that Merlin's ring attached itself to as the heir of Merlin's powers. After a public embarrassment in front of his 4th grade classmates involving the battling wizards, flash forward 10 years to Balthazar's return where Dave is a physics geek pining away for his lost love during the 4th grade mishap. Baruchel plays the adult Dave with equal parts awe and skepticism of Balthazar's plans for him. His stutter and stammer bring out the rawness of the role.

The villain Harvath, played by Alfred Molina, keeps his character cool with his slick demeanor and an icy tongue. His distain for Balthazar runs far deeper than just siding with Morgana against his own master, Merlin.

Disney does pull out all the stops when it comes to the look of the set pieces and the spells. The training sequences are slick, the battles with Morgana's minions as they are set loose on to the Manhattan skyline are fierce, and the plasma balls are both comical and deadly, depending on whether Balthazar or Dave are handling them.

At the end of the day, some people will like the film, some will love it and some will wonder why they spent the money at the theater. The critics have been critical, as is their nature, but for a couple of hours of mindless magical mayhem, this may do the trick.

Worth: Netflix

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Ain't No POTC
[Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina]

Finally over illness and various personal and business trips... I was able to get back on my normal schedule of movie-going. With the official start of the summer movie season revolving around the Memorial Day holiday weekend, we can look forward to plenty of pickings during the hot months when the lure of the ocean breezes and sandy beaches cannot compare to the siren song of a cool movie theater.

SYNOPSIS: A street orphan catches the eye of the King of Persia and is adopted. Growing up, Dastan becomes a worthy prince and warrior. He aids his brothers as they storm the Holy City of Alamut in search of the forgers who have been secretly supplying Persia's enemies with weapons. After being accused of killing his father during the victory banquet, Dastan teams up with Alamut's Princess Tamina to clear his name and unravel the mysteries of the dagger that holds the powerful Sands of Time.

Disney Studios look again to the past to discover another possible franchise for the future. Looking at the video game series, Prince of Persia, Disney takes its cue from the Ubisoft developed 2003 three-dimensional action platform Prince of Persia game. The movie strips much of the background story of the game into the most critical components of the movie, namely the lead character, a princess, a powerful dagger and the Hourglass of Time.

Jake Gyllenhaal comes off a strong performance in "Brothers" to bulk up for the lead, Dastan, in "Price of Persia. Known to plunge into battle and combat without thought, Dastan has grown into an accomplished warrior of Persia. But faced with the beauty of Princess Tamina, played by Gemma Arterton coming off her "Clash of the Titans" performance, Dastan flounders. Both Dastan and Tamina are strong duty-driven characters, but both also show a softer side once one can find a crack in the proverbial armor of the other.

The story runs down two paths, one of Dastan being accused of murdering his father and trying to find the true killer, the other of Princess Tamina trying to reclaim the Dagger of Time that Dastan had picked up as a spoil of war in order of fulfilling her sacred, entrusted duty. Of course, there are adventures along the way which allow Dastan to show his swordplay and acrobatic skills, as well as situations that allow us to catch glimpses of Princess Tamina in different flowing garb.

The story is not going to be the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, regardless of the period date of the film, the ensemble of the cast, or the likeability of the characters. Jake Gyllenhaal is ripped and endearing, if not memorable. Gemma is gorgeous and talented, even though her character is not pushed to far. Alfred Molina takes an almost unrecognizable turn as Sheik Amar, a entrepreneur trying to ilk out a desert ostrich gaming living without having to pay taxes to the Persian "Man". Ben Kingsley turns in an always solid performance as the king's brother and counsel and trusted Dastan's uncle.

One of the problems of the film is that in order to make such a grandiose film, much CGI had to be done for the action sequences. Where the effects work is when Dastan uses the Sand of Time triggered from the dagger. Where it succeeds less is where it is used for added battle sequences, adding more soldiers to a scene, or adding real soldiers to a CGI environment. I would rather have more practical action sequence that really let you be a part of the action, instead of being distracted by it.

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is good enough a film for a Summer distraction and popcorn movie, but the hourglass of its success as a franchise is probably already running out.

Worth: Matinee