Tag Archives: Animated

Mar 26 2013

Review: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Directed by Jon Turteltaub

This tale begins in Britain, 740 AD, the time of Merlin and Morgan le Fay. This is where the foundation for the story is laid with an introduction to Balthazar the good sorcerer, played by Nicolas Cage, Horvath the evil sorcerer, played by Alfred Molina, and the promise of a chosen one or “Prime Merlinian” who would be Merlin’s successor.

the sorcerer's apprentice POSTERHundreds of years go by and we arrive in New York where Balthazar meets Dave Stutler, the young boy who is to become his apprentice. Very soon all hell breaks loose as these two come under attack from Horvath but the action ends as abruptly as it started when Balthazar traps himself and Horvath in a vase.  Another ten years go by before the two sorcerers are freed and the fight continues. Dave, now played by Jay Baruchel, joins the fight and must learn on the go from Balthazar. As Horvath makes preparations to raise an army Dave hones his powers, while winning over the girl of his dreams. Everything culminates in a final battle, with a brilliant display of fireworks, and finishes up pretty much as you would expect.

There have been a few movies in recent years that have started out as a very basic idea and expanded into a screenplay, for example Battleship, based on the game Battleships, though how that game translates into a story I’ve no idea. Disney has drawn on old material for their movies also. Pirates of the Caribbean was based on a ride at Disneyland, as was The Haunted House. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a remake of possibly the most famous story from the musical Fantasia, where the part of the apprentice is played by Mickey Mouse. If you’ve seen the cartoon you’ll remember that the majority of the story was about Mickey using the magic to help himself get the chores done, but getting into trouble because he used it for selfish reasons and yes, of course they recreate that scene, but thankfully there is much more to the story than that. Director Jon Turteltaub loves to have some good old fashioned values and morals in his films and this one is no different.

The effects are well done, the sequence with the tesla coils put to music I found impressive and some of the scenes involving the sorcery I thought were quite clever and original. I had to laugh at one quote which was straight out of Star Wars, and I loved hearing the same old music from Fantasia start up as Dave started to clean the lab using his powers to control the mops. Alfred Molina makes a good villain but Nicolas Cage was unconvincing as the sorcerer. Jay Baruchel is unfortunately the same in everything I see him in. He is likeable but unimpressive. I enjoy the movies he’s in, but it’s no thanks to him. He doesn’t ruin the movie but he doesn’t add anything to it either.  In the end this film was a fun ride but don’t set your expectations too high if you haven’t seen it yet.

Written by Ben Freeman

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Top Cat
May 16 2012

Top Cat (2012)

Everyone’s favourite cartoon character is back and he’s brought the gang along. As bumbling Officer Dibble fails to keep Top Cat and the gang at bay, someone else is brought in to do the job. The new police chief is a technology maniac and decides to replace the entire police force with robots. With T.C. in doggy prison and Officer Dibble off the block will the gang survive or will this be the end of T.C. and his mafia style mates?

I loved Top Cat and the gang when growing up, watching them in the morning before school. So when I heard they were bringing T.C. back I had to admit, I was rather looking forward to it. The result though was not all that I had hoped for.

The main problem I found was the fact it was in 3D, as most films are these days. The film was using a 2D effect which I believe was used to attempt to keep the essence of the original cartoon. This I could agree with, this I actually liked, what I didn’t like was the fact they then endeavoured to release the film in 3D. The end result being the 3D effect being rendered almost ineffectual and when mixed with the 2D style caused confusion and a little nausea to myself and undoubtedly other members of the audience. I am not completely against 3D, just as long as it adds something to the film and unfortunately in this case, it didn’t.

I also felt the dialogue lacked speed and fluency, the pace was excruciatingly slow at some points and at others seemed to stop completely. I also noticed an almost complete lack of interaction and response from the children in the audience, which for a cartoon aimed at children is a huge miss. I notice the few laughs it did get was at the beginning, but as the film progressed the children seemed to completely disengage.

On the bright side however there were a few good points. Although I found the main majority of the jokes lacked any originality and substance, there were a few points which made me laugh. These were the few subtle jokes added in for the adults, but when I say a few I do mean a few. I was also happy they kept the original theme tune from the cartoon series at the beginning of the film, but unfortunately that was the highlight of the feature.

I do hate to give bad reviews but I just couldn’t find it in me to be positive about Top Cat. He was a beloved children’s character of mine of which I had such high hopes for. Little did I know those hopes were to be tarnished along with the good name of Top Cat himself. Sorry T.C., it’s nothing personal, but you should have remained on the small screen.

Written by Oliver Willis

Top Cat
Apr 11 2012

Top Cat Returns!

Benny the Ball, Fancy Fancy, Choo Choo, Spook and Brains, and the indisputable leader of the gang T.C. are back at war with the long arm of the law when the menacing Police Chief Strickland moves to town, ousting the bumbling Officer Dibble. 

Determined to put a stop to the feline antics in Hoagy’s Alley with the help of a bullying robot police force, the tech-savvy Stickland threatens to be the most dastardly enemy the gang has ever faced. 

With their wise-guy lifestyle hanging in the balance T.C. and friends are forced to cash in on another of their 9 lives to curtail Strickland’s reign of terror and claw their way back to the top!

That’s right, Vertigo Films are proud to announce the UK release of Top Cat: The Movie for Friday June 1, 2012 in 3D. Top Cat, or T.C. as he’s known to his close friends has been a hit with children and adults alike since his first appearance way back in the 1960′s. I do have to admit I was rather sad when they stopped showing T.C. and the gang. But now he’s back, and bigger than ever!

Vertigo Film’s Rupert Preston and Allan Niblo said: “Top Cat is an iconic and much-loved character known by nearly every parent in the UK. We are thrilled to be bringing Top Cat, his mischievous gang and Officer Dibble to a whole new generation.”   

The movie is set to bring the vibrancy, colour and retro-charm which we loved from the original and bring it to a new generation. After more than a 50-year hiatus, T.C. and the gang return with ‘the most tip-top’ adventure of them all.

Written by Oliver Willis