REVIEW - The Sorcerers Apprentice

We had high hopes for The Sorcerer's Apprentice and, after an overly complicated historical introduction, it starts well - with young Dave's incursion into a fantastical magic shop recalling 80s greats like The Neverending Story.

Then we flash-forward to Jay Barucehel in modern day New York and things start to get a little ropey. It's not just Nicolas Cage's increasingly unlikely wigs, Baruchel's improbably high pitched voice (seriously, was he chosen because he actually sounds like Mickey Mouse?) nor the pointlessly scientific approach to magic but a combination of all these things and the film serious deficit of fun. It's all the more disappointing because two supporting players, Alfred Molina and Toby Kebbell, perfectly capture the quirky tone we know director Turteltaub is capable of sustaining - their moments together as master and apprentice are the highlight of the film.

Still, some of the magic is impressive and its slightly less limp than much of the child friendly dross we've seen in 2010.

REVIEW - The Last Airbender

Based on the successful (and by all accounts decent) Nickelodeon cartoon series, the film tells the story of the mythical Avatar who could unite the warring elemental nations of fire, water, earth and air by being awesome. And bald. And a kid who beats baddies up with air.

It's never a good sign when a children's film has to start with a screenful of text to get young 'uns up to speed and throughout Shyamalan takes extended time outs for laboured exposition and backstories. His writing and direction lack any kind of pace or vigour, relying on masses of close-ups and POV conversations which are simply out of place in a blockbuster adventure. The action when it comes is lazy, there's rarely any correlation between the frantic martial arts moves of the combatants and the flurries of elemental powers, while a few slow-motion 300-esque moments seem tacked on. In short; an attractive and utterly boring mess, with shoddy 3D and no sense of fun. Avoid.

1/5