As you know, I have the coolest job in the world. But it's demanding. So while I was reviewing disks for next week's St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, I entrusted the new Nicolas Cage movie to a critic's apprentice: Jamie McKinney, a recent MICDS grad who is headed to Chicago for college. Here is his review:

Disney’s latest, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” is a fantasy/sci-fi film following an unsuspecting NYU student, Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel, “Tropic Thunder”), who learns he is the successor of the great sorcerer Merlin. Utilizing the help of one of Merlin’s old apprentices, Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage), Stutler learns the art of sorcery and attempts to shatter the plans of the evil sorcerer Horvath (Alfred Molina), who is bent on worldly destruction.

The plot is simplistic. Fortunately, the world of sorcery and magic allows the film to use an array of special effects (along with a failed trial at a romantic interest) in an attempt to deter the audience from noticing the flawed plot. Unforgivably cliché in actions and dialogue, the film keeps a steady pace, easy for the audience to follow, as it tries unsuccessfully to throw them off the predictable events to come. There are a few clever references thrown around that produce a laugh or two, but in general there's nothing to really get excited about.

Nicholas Cage produces a shaky performance, though it’s hard to blame him with the writing provided, while Baruchel in the title role delivers a performance of equal caliber. Still, both actors have their moments where they are believable and are, surprisingly, easy to take seriously. The two go head-to-head with Molina (“Spider-Man 2”), who does a refreshingly nice job of reminding the audience of how good a villain he can be. The audience may catch themselves falling into the story a couple times as a result of such moments.

The film does a great job of producing some pretty entertaining battle scenes that could keep Michael Bay on the edge of his seat. Though exciting, the sequences seem to be the only aspect of the movie worth watching towards the end, leaving the storyline in second place.

Don’t expect to be surprised. However, if you are looking to kill a couple hours with the kids, the shaky plot and commonplace writing are bearable