Blu-ray Review

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina Running Time: 1 hr 40 min Rating: PG Due Out: November 30, 2010

PLOT:

Balthazar Blake (Cage) is a modern-day sorcerer charged with protecting Manhattan against dark forces. Balthazar detects great potential within a young student named Dave (Baruchel), and enlists his help in the battle against Balthazar's nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Molina).

WHO'S IT FOR? It's a good film for families. Obviously, it's mostly for the kids, but the grownups will enjoy it, too.

MOVIE: Charming and fun with special effects that improve the story rather than bog it down, and what more can we ask for? So what if the passage of time is mostly inscrutable (has Dave been training for days or months? We don't know, either!) and the Chosen One always has to be a white guy and there's yet another pretty blond girl in peril? It's forgivable because the movie isn't taking itself seriously, the white guy is also a nerdy scientist, and the female in jeopardy is rational and capable! Which means that you have to go out of your way to be a naysayer and if you choose not to, you can just have effortless fun with The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It's the best kind of escapism for the whole family.

MOVIE SCORE: 7/10

EXTRAS

Magic in the City The Science of Sorcery Making Magic Real Fantasia: Reinventing a Classic The World's Coolest Car Five Deleted Scenes Outtakes The Making of Sorcerer's Apprentice