Long ago, there were three sorcerers who studied under Merlin: Balthazar (Nicolas Cage), Veronica (Monica Bellucci) and Horvath (Alfred Molina). Horvath pulled away from the group and aligned himself with Merlin's evil nemesis, Morgana le Fay (Alice Krige), in an attempt to destroy Merlin. In the ensuing battle, Balthazar was able to capture Horvath, along with several other evil magic-doers, in the Grimlock, a prison that appears to be a Russian nesting doll. Veronica was able to contain Morgana by consuming her, but Morgana tried to kill Veronica from the inside out, forcing Balthazar to capture Veronica, his beloved, in the Grimlock as well. On his deathbed, Merlin shared with Balthazar that his successor would be a young boy to whom his magical dragon ring would react. So Balthazar spends the next several hundred years searching for this young boy, the "prime Merlinian."

Fast-forward to the year 2000, when an average kid named Dave stumbles into a dusty old antique shop because of a series of magical mishaps on a field trip. As he enters the Arcana Cabana, he is amazed at the strange objects surrounding him, but even more shocked at the store's proprietor, none other than Balthazar himself. Naturally, the ring tells Balthazar that Dave is "the one" but when the boy accidentally releases Horvath from his prison, a huge battle erupts between the two sorcerers and Balthazar's only hope is to capture both men into an ancient jar that imprisons its captives for 10 years straight. Dave is soon discovered at the shop by his teacher and class and is ridiculed because he seems to be spouting nonsense.

Jump ahead another 10 years and Dave (Jay Baruchel) has become a great big physics nerd. He is still plagued by the image he gained as a child on that fateful day, but when he spies his childhood crush, Becky Barnes (Teresa Palmer), in the class he is presenting before, things start looking up. You see, the events of the day he met Balthazar all began when a note she wrote to him blew away in the wind and he chased it to the Arcana Cabana. It seems fate is smiling upon him once again, finally, but then the inevitable happens - Balthazar and Horvath are released from the jar. Horvath is on the hunt for the Grimlock to release Morgana and little Dave was the last person to hold it. Balthazar enlists Dave to help him put away the evil clan of sorcerers and Dave agrees to become his apprentice.

Naturally, Dave's blossoming romance with Becky suffers as he and Balthazar train in the art of magic. It seems that the magic just doesn't come naturally to Dave, but Balthazar assures him one day it will and he'll be able to cast spells without the aid of his dragon ring. Horvath decides to team up with the only sorcerer he can find, Drake Stone (Tony Kebbell), a modern day Vegas styled showman who borders on the ridiculous. Ok, no. He proudly revels in the ridiculous. However, as "Criss Angel" a magician as he's become, he's still fairly powerful and he and Horvath, along with several other sorcerers who end up getting released from the Grimlock, will put up quite a fight for Balthazar and Dave.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is an exciting and fantastical movie the whole family can enjoy. Some of the coolest scenes are chase scenes and one specifically has Horvath performing the Hungarian Mirror Trick where Balthazar's car drives into a mirror only to find himself in a reverse universe of the present. It's a really cool effect. Some of the scenes where Dave shows off his collection of musical Tesla coils (something that's factual and not just a movie trick, mind you) to Becky are especially fun to watch. I really liked how the filmmakers combined real-life science with magic, making it seem more realistic and believable.

Of course, one of the most fun scenes in the movie is the iconic one ripped straight from Fantasia and that would be the unruly mops scene. The special effects team did an amazing job bringing this scene to life and it truly did look real. They used people in green outfits to control the mops, but it looks seamless. In fact, there's a lot of CG in this film and even though this movie is in Blu-ray, it all still looks terrific.

Special features include a handful of deleted scenes and outtakes, featurettes on bringing the scene from Fantasia to life and several on the science behind the film, Nick Cage's kickass Rolls Royce Phantom (his personal vehicle and a one of a kind), the special effects utilized and a general making-of featurette. There's also a DVD version of the film included as well.

Overall, I enjoyed The Sorcerer's Apprentice far more than I thought I would. The acting is great and the storyline is fun. I must say I didn't like the whiny voice Jay Baruchel seemed to be using. Maybe he was trying to make himself sound a bit younger, but I've seen him in a few things and he didn't sound quite as whiny. It's definitely not a deal-breaker, just a little distracting from time to time. If you want to check out a fun film for those chilly holiday evenings, one perfect for the whole family, A Sorcerer's Apprentice fits the bill. Recommended.

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