The Sorcerer's Apprentice (PG, 2010)

Millennia ago, Morgana le Fay (Alice Krige) attempted to unseat Merlin (James A. Stephens), who managed to fend her off by sending her and the turncoat Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) to a prison called a grimhold. Sadly for the sorcerer Balthazar (Nicolas Cage), his magically gifted beloved, Veronica (Monica Bellucci), is trapped in there, too. The goal in THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE is to find Merlin’s descendant -- aka the prime Merlinian -- who’s the only one who can vanquish Morgana and her minions forever. Balthazar thinks he may have found him once, in the form of an elementary schoolboy named Dave. But it’s not until Dave (Jay Baruchel) is in college studying to be a physicist that he’s able to finally take on his mission.

Everything and the kitchen sink is in this movie: adventure, mythology, buddy comedy, wizardry, and even romance. All of which leaves the impression that it’s engineered -- some would say rigged -- to be a summer blockbuster.  Which doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining, because it certainly is. (How could it not be, given how engineered the whole thing feels?) As in Spider-Man 2, Molina proves brilliant at villainy, balancing smart and sinister at the same time. And Baruchel isn't your average hero, which is a good thing: He’s one of a few elements in the movie that has refreshing edge.

One section that does feel inspired? The mops-and-buckets-go-awry sequence inspired by Fantasia, the classic animated feature to which The Sorcerer's Apprentice owes some debt of gratitude. For a moment there, the movie evokes the whimsy and mayhem it could have more wholeheartedly embraced. As the popcorn fare it is now, it’s loads of fun -- but it could have been genius.