Mild-mannered physics nerd Dave (Baruchel) finds himself embroiled in an age-old battle between two sorcerers named Balthazar and Horvath (Cage and Molina). When Horvath tries to free the imprisoned dark witch Morgana, Dave must face his destiny and fight to save the world. Most likely extrapolated from the segment in Fantasia by the same name, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice is more fun than I expected.
The plot is your standard monomyth/hero’s journey fare, but the pacing is brisk enough to keep you occupied. Cage is good as a half-crazed sorcerer, Molina’s a capable villain and Baruchel plays the bumbling everyman very well. The effects and action sequences are competent, but there’s just not a lot of meat here. It’s a decently fun summer movie, but it’s as quickly forgotten as the popcorn you’ll be eating in the theater. Given some of the other movies out this summer, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but also not a good distinction. Fine for the kids, but maybe wait for the rental.
