Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice Blu-ray

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Blu-ray boxSTUDIO: Disney | DIRECTOR: Jon Turteltaub | CAST: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer
RELEASE DATE: 11/30/2010 | PRICE: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD combo $39.99, Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy $44.99
BONUSES: nine featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes
SPECS: PG | 109 min. | fantasy adventure | 2.40:1 aspect ratio | 5.1 DTS-HD audio | English, French and Spanish subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

I must admit, I had pretty low expectations for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Movies inspired by theme park rides or cartoons are hit or miss, with some turning out great (Pirates of the Caribbean) and others you try hard to forget (The Haunted Mansion). Inspired by the wonderful Mickey Mouse segment of the original Fantasia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is one of the good ones.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice movie scene with Nicolas CageDespite having five people credited for the story and screenplay — usually a bad sign — the fantasy movie has a smart script that blends action with comedy and includes a nice homage to Mickey’s clean-up woes. The special effects are top-notch as well, as are the performances from all involved.

Nicolas Cage (The Family Man), who shines in comedy much more than in his action films, balances action and comedy well in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and is paired nicely with co-star Jay Baruchel’s (She’s Out of My League) nerdy, Columbo-esque style. But the stand-out is Alfred Molina (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), who, as usual, makes a delicious villain.

The movie is especially good in Blu-ray‘s high-definition video and sound, which show off the sparks in the magic battles and crashes and explosions well.

The visual effects are detailed in the “Making Magic Real” featurette on the Blu-ray, including how the Wall Street bull and the China Town parade dragon were brought to life.

Cage, Baruchel, Molina and co-star Teresa Palmer are all interviewed in the many featurettes, as well as directer Jon Turteltaub and executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, among others. It’s obvious everyone involved with the making of this movie had a lot of fun.

Fans of the original “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” will enjoy the “Fantasia: Reinventing a Classic” featurette, which shows how they made the brooms come to life — I’ll give you a hint: It’s not magic. (Incidentally, Disney brought out Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 in a double-feature Blu-ray set the same day as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Read our review.)

And car fans will be interested to find out in the brief featurette “The World’s Coolest Car” that the classic Rolls Royce in the film is actually owned by Cage.

The Blu-ray also offers a handful of deleted scenes and a reel of outtakes, with Baruchel doing some fun ad-libbing.

 

Buy or Rent The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Amazon graphic
DVD | Blu-ray/DVD combo |
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
DVD Empire graphicDVD | Blu-ray/DVD |
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
Movies Unlimited graphicDVD | Blu-ray/DVD | Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Netflix graphic

About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.