The Sorcerer's Apprentice is an ode to Disney's 1940 film Fantasia.
Born from an idea Nicolas Cage had, it builds an entire mythos from that brief section of the aforementioned film.
Balthazar Blake, Cage, is a sorcerer searching for the rightful heir to Merlin—his former master.
He was given a ring by the legendary wizard as he lie dying. That ring will signal the chosen one, who happens to be a bumbling nerd, Dave (played by Jay Baruchel).
Anyway, it's all fairly silly and dumb, but also decently fun. That is thanks in part to Alfred Molina's Horvath—the sorcerer who betrayed Merlin and Balthazar, aligning himself with the evil Morgana. The repartee between he and Cage is worth the hour and 40 minutes alone.
But alas, for critics, the dumb outweighed the fun. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which reunited Cage with National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub, sits at just 40% on Rotten Tomatoes with 173 reviews.
Viewers failed to see its magic, too. They scored it a 53%. Thus, its $215.3 million box office isn't all that shocking. On a budget of $150 million, its failure to cast a sequel isn't surprising either.
Now, sit back, let your tastebuds conjure some magic from a Japanese Green Tea IPA from Stone Brewing, and don't touch anything! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Chumpzilla, and Capt. Cash are firing plasma bolts and wearing our finest old man shoes!
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