The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I hereby declare Teresa Palmer the beauty of the year. Otherwise, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a fine fairytale, spoiled by Turteltaub’s directing. Jerry should look for somebody more capable. Cage plays a pleasant weirdo once again and Jay Baruchel does a good job too. Is there any other movie where a mop saved the day? Give me the doll! (31/12/2010)

Excessive bet on certainty. There have been many modern action-romantic fantasies in recent years, but not every one can be made into a saga. This one definitely won't be. It's not a disaster, but almost everything has been seen better elsewhere. Nicolas Cage stands out the most in the film, as if he was born for Turteltaub's films, but he will shine even more in the third National Treasure. Modestly positive impressions are left by him, the "flash" version of Secrets by OneRepublic, and an unexpected reminder of a classic Disney short. (14/05/2011)

Overall, The Sorcerer's Apprentice struck me as a mix of Harry Potter and some teenage sugary stuff. The effects were great and I have absolutely no complaints. Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina, and Monica Bellucci fit their characters for me, but Jay Baruchel pretty much sucked - as did a lot of others there. In the end, this is a typical American commercial fantasy film with a predictable plot, mostly good actors and solid effects. (26/12/2010)

Quite fun and with a lot of expensive digital tricks to see (which ultimately improve the overall impression), but also toothless and with a clumsy main character to boot. There is so much illogicality in the story that the great number of starving African children appear to be a negligible figure in comparison. The few good ideas are drowned out by the fact that the few spells are repeated over and over again, and that it's all too complicated and yet shamefully predictable. In addition, Turteltaub isn’t able to film a battle of two wizards or an action scene in a way that looks even slightly interesting. Basically, it’s the same as The Last Airbender, but I gave that film 3 stars, because at least I laughed decently during it. (02/09/2011)

The first half is undeniably awesome! Cage has a big mane on his head after thirteen years and is cooler than ever, Baruchel is a nerdy dork and Molina's slimy villain is best of all. But then the rules are laid down, Turteltaub starts repeating everything (can they really do no more than throw plasma balls at each other!?) and the wit and perspective disappear. The finale is as breathless and boring as the bulldog. It’s a sad state of affairs when, after less than an hour, you still think you’d love to give this "Bruckheimer popcorn" four stars. (14/11/2010)