"Once you enter there is no...going...back...""So I should probably pee first?"
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a refreshingly pacy, tightly-scripted children's fantasy adventure. After two weighty, exposition-heavy prologues, the story and action unfold in an efficient and energetic manner that is consistently engaging. Jay Baruchel (the new Justin Long) gives another likable performance as the hapless apprentice, Nicolas Cage and Alfred Molina are terrific as the warring sorcerers, and underused Brit Toby Kebbell ("Are you in Depeche Mode?") makes a good impression in limited screen time. The almost-redundant romantic sub-plot seems shoehorned in to provide a female presence in the film; indeed, the few female characters who appear briefly are limply blonde/weak/evil. The excellent high-end CG effects here service the narrative in a natural way, most notably in the impressive Chinatown and car-chase sequences. The riffs on the Fantasia-inspired material work well, but this movie stands up in its own right. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is well-crafted, expertly performed and visually very satisfying to watch, and is one of this year's better films aimed at the younger audience.
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