For most people, the title “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” surely recalls images of Mickey Mouse in a blue wizard cap naively attempting to magically control an army of brooms to do his chores.  It’s the feature sequence in Disney’s 1940 classic Fantasia and arguably the most famous image of the animated mascot.  Now, Disney has made a live-action, feature-length version.  It may seem like a stretch, but so did the idea of a feature-length movie based on a theme park ride called “Pirates of the Caribbean” and that seemed to work out okay for Disney.  The house that Mickey built can’t quite duplicate that success with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but it does provide for a couple hours of fun escapist entertainment.

The backstory goes all the way back to the most famous of sorcerers, Merlin.  Locked in battle with the evil Morgana, Merlin is killed, but not before training three apprentices.  One of these apprentices, Balthazar, manages to capture Morgana in a magically sealed nesting doll along with all those who threaten to release her.  Unfortunately, Morgana cannot be truly destroyed by anyone but the “true Merlinian,” the destined successor to the legendary sorcerer.  Balthazar searches for hundreds of years before stumbling across the rightful heir in a New York City antique shop.

Dave is just a clueless 10-year-old when he and Balthazar first meet, but ten years later he’s a gifted college physics major with access to an underground lab space that is the perfect place for his training as a sorcerer.  Dave is initially resistant to the idea of becoming Balthazar’s apprentice.  He’d rather pursue the affections of Becky, the girl who got away only to turn back up in his life.  He’s not left with much of a choice, however, when Balthazar’s rival Horvath arrives with the attention of freeing Morgana and pretty much destroying the world as we know it.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Nicolas Cage as Balthazar, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice plays much like the two National Treasure films on which the pair collaborated.  It is very loose, fun, and often cheesy.  It’s a style that works well for the subject matter and although far from being a great film, it’s hard not to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

That ride includes a magic-fueled car chase, plenty of plasma-bolt attacks and clever references to popular movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  The highlight of the film, however, goes to the scene that was directly inspired by the original Fantasia segment.

After some serious sorcerer training, Dave’s underground lab is a bit of a mess and Becky is on her way over.  Just like Mickey, Dave magically enlists the help of a broom—along with mops, rags and sponges—to clean up the mess while he takes a shower.  Unfortunately, Dave’s powers as a sorcerer aren’t quite up to snuff.  It’s a charming tribute to a classic animated sequence and is a delightful addition to the feature film, even if it doesn’t do much to advance the plot.

Not that there is much plot to advance.  The Sorcerer’s Apprentice script—written by no less than six credited screenwriters—follows the “hero’s journey” formula step-by-step and audiences are going to recognize every story element.

The performances are enough to progress this plot, but there’s no real standout.  Jay Baruchel is funny and relatable, but Dave is the same character he has played in seemingly every movie.  Cage does the same to such an extent that the actor has really started to become a caricature of himself.  He’s also missing the British accent it seems his character would possess.  As Horvath, Alfred Molina does speak in a British accent and he delivers the film’s most memorable performance, again proving that he can ham it up with the best of them, a talent he previously demonstrated this summer in Prince of Persia.

Although it is entertaining, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice does not scream franchise.  It’s a mildly entertaining action/comedy/sci-fi which makes it twice as entertaining as many of the movies that have graced silver screens this year, but it is nevertheless largely forgettable upon leaving the theater.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is rated PG for “fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.”  If this exact movie were animated, it might have gotten away with a G rating.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jeff attended a promotional screening of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.