The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)

Number Rolled: 48

Movie Name/Year: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)

Genre: Sci-fi & Fantasy

Length: 109 minutes

Rating: PG

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Writer: Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Omar Benson Miller, Monica Bellucci, Alice Krige, Jake Cherry, James A Stephens

I had the good fortune to see The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in theaters, though I’d imagine many people wouldn’t find it to be such “good” fortune. Back when it came out the critics crapped all over this movie and, quite frankly, I think they’re morons. Then again, if I didn’t think they were morons I probably wouldn’t have started this blog to begin with.

Yes, there were some predictable parts, but hey – it’s Disney. It’s really kind of meant for the younger generation. In that case, you can’t judge it against movies made for people in or past their thirties. That’s like trying to compare Casablanca with Bambi. Both classics and both geared toward VERY different audiences.

I watched this movie today with my boyfriend and best friend and my best friend argued that he was sick of seeing the main character as the uber-geek with no social skills. I completely disagree with him. I think we have enough of those main characters who have the social skills any nerd would kill for. We have enough “normal” people who are the heroes. Marty McFly was a social kid before he went to the past to wind up getting hit on by his mom. The Doctor is an amazingly social man who always has no problem finding a cute female side-kick to help him navigate his TARDIS. The original Buffy was a cheerleader before she began kicking the asses of bloodsuckers for the good of man-kind. Even in The Sandlot, the kid who saves the day isn’t the nerd who has a bad relationship with his step-father, it’s the popular kid who everyone loves from the beginning. So, yes, we have a lot of movies that came out in the past few years where the truly socially inept nerd became the hero, but that’s after years of being overlooked by Hollywood as anything but the stereotypical Eugene in Grease.

Dave (Jay Baruchel) is the epitome of that nerd who has been teased all his life and hides away from any social situations for fear of screwing up. Getting thrown into a “save the world” situation is already difficult. Add to that the fact that you can’t even save yourself by talking to that beautiful blonde haired girl you can’t get out of your head? Terrifying! Personally, I feel when the main character has that many personal flaws, the story itself can lead to a deeper conclusion and greater development for our hero.

I happen to enjoy this movie a great deal, but I also acknowledge the flaws. The storyline itself is relatively predictable in certain areas. It’s a story that’s been told many times. However, I still found it was interesting to watch. There were scenes for everyone. Huge flame-throwing magical CGI moments, dragons and snakes, Tesla Coil music via science and not magic (youtube it), romance, car chases, betrayal and a LOT of humor.

Prepare to get One Republic’s song “Secrets” stuck in your head after watching this movie though.

Overall Opinion – 4/5