The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Reviews Counted: 165
Fresh: 68 | Rotten: 97
It has a likable cast and loads of CGI spectacle, but for all but the least demanding viewers, The Sorcerer's Apprentice will be less than spellbinding.
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 22
It has a likable cast and loads of CGI spectacle, but for all but the least demanding viewers, The Sorcerer's Apprentice will be less than spellbinding.
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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 133,647
Movie Info
Inspired by the beloved segment of the Walt Disney classic Fantasia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice moves the setting of the story to modern-day Manhattan, where decidedly average teen Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) hones his magical powers under the tutelage of master sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage). Malevolent wizard Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) is determined to claim New York City as his own. And Horvath isn't alone in his diabolical endeavor, because by joining forces with the sinister
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Cast
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Nicolas Cage
Balthazar Blake -
Jay Baruchel
Dave Stutler -
Alfred Molina
Maxim Horvath -
Teresa Palmer
Becky Barnes -
Toby Kebbell
Drake Stone -
Omar Benson Miller
Bennet -
Monica Bellucci
Veronica -
Alice Krige
Morgana -
Jake Cherry
Young Dave -
James Stephens
Merlin -
Gregory Woo
Sun Lok, Sun Lok "The W... -
Wai Ching Ho
Chinese Woman -
Jason R. Moore
Subway Mugger -
Robert Capron
Young Dave's Pal -
Peyton Roi List
Young Becky -
Sandor Tecsy
Russian Man -
Marika Daciuk
Russian Woman -
Nicole Ehinger
Abigail Williams -
Adriane Lenox
Ms. Algar -
Ethan Peck
Andre -
Manish Patel
NYU Clerk -
Oscar Colon
Fry Cook -
Joe Lisi
Police Captain -
William Devlin
Police Officer -
Víctor Cruz
Auto Impound Clerk -
Melissa Gallagher
Woman on the Street -
Parisa Fitz-Henley
Bennet's Girlfriend -
Brandon Gill
Student in Bathroom -
Henry Yuk
Chinese Dragon Carrier -
Jordan Johnston
Mean Kid -
Izuchukwu Mozie
African Boy -
Amit Soni
Indian Boy -
Maha Chehlaoui
Hot Girl -
Adria Baratta
Student #1 -
Rosie Moss
Student #2 -
Ian Alda
Physics Student -
Peyton R. List
Young Becky -
Jason Moore
Subway Mugger
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice Trailer & Photos
All Critics (166) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (97) | DVD (5)
Casts a superficial and short-lived spell.
He canâ(TM)t hold a candle to Mickey.
There is much that's appealing, from the performances to the scene where Turteltaub re-creates a live-action version of the classic scene from Disney's Fantasia.
As Balthazar, Cage doesn't disappoint. He's just manic enough to keep the character from becoming too predictable. More's the pity, then, that a pro like him has to cede so much screen time to his character's young protege.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice should be rated U for Untouched by Human Hands.
A big gob of mythical makeover and special effects-freewheeling fun.
It's strange to have a film have so much magic within and yet ultimately not have enough of the right kind of magic to make it work.
drawing a line of lack-of-inspiration true and dire directly to Renny Harlin's already-completely-forgotten The Covenant.
As an object to look at and be zoomed along in like an amusement park ride -- which is all it's meant to be -- this movie is pretty much more of the summery same.
It also looks quite nice with some well-designed adventure moments and clean camera work that's flashy but usually elegant. But that's a few islands of interest on a sea of interchangeable marketing parts that's all sizzle and no substance.
Whether intentional or not, The Sorcerer's Apprentice plays like Disney's stalled attempt to launch a stripped down Harry Potter-like franchise.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is one of those films that feels very close to being good.
Frankly, it's completely dorky. And yet it slips by because of its wise decision to fully embrace that dorkiness.
Light on logic, and not always polished, the film plays like a gonzo big-budget Roger Corman B-movie. It's filled with wonderfully imaginative visuals, interesting characters and spectacle galore.
This PG-rated Jerry Bruckheimer production is slick as an oiled weasel: larded with fancy special effects, canned romance, corny humor and a general lack of sophistication. [Blu-ray]
...a disappointingly repetitive and flat-out dull piece of work...
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a great family film that packs PG-13 excitement into a PG-rated film.
Though the movie is magic-like rather than magical and is, to be honest, on the thin side, it cast enough of a spell to keep me entertained.
It is the exact kind of film you would imagine to be spun-off from a dialogue-free animated sequence from Fantasia; that is to say, not a very complex or interesting one.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is what you get when Jerry Bruckheimer produces Harry Potter.
This slice of science and sorcery feels like a throwback to the 1980s heyday of family films.
In spite of Nic Cage's 'Hobo-with-a-leather-fetish' chic there are some inventive effects sequences. Feels likes like a watchable-but-unremarkable patchwork quilt of every fantasy flick ever made.
Cage's expressions cover a limited range, from earnest to fearless to glazed, and he trots out leaden dialogue along the lines of, "That... must...not... happen!" Surely there can't be an easier way to earn $20 million or so.
The plot verges on incoherence, but The Sorcerer's Apprentice is entertaining enough if you can forgive the presence of Cage, whose brand of glum camp hasn't grown any fresher with the years.
Probably would have saved us all a lot of trouble if someone had have pointed the way to Hogwarts.
I must say that the development of CGI special effects has contributed to the death of character and story. And that's true in this case.
Audience Reviews for The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Merlin: We are but servants.
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- Dave Stutler: How do you know my name?
- Balthazar Blake: Because I can read minds!
- Balthazar Blake: It's on your backpack...
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- Balthazar Blake: You're a bad liar, Dave. That's good.
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- Dave Stutler: These are old-man shoes.
- Balthazar Blake: Excuse me?
- Dave Stutler: I love them... a lot.
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- Balthazar Blake: You will not control your magic if you will not control yourself.
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- Balthazar Blake: Love is a distraction. Sorcery requires complete focus.
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Foreign Titles
- Duell der Magier (DE)
- L'Apprenti Sorcier (FR)










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