94. The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Title: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Year: 2010

Summary: In AD 740, one of the three apprentices of Merlin, Maxim Horvath, betrays him by joining forces with the evil sorceress Morgana le Fay. Morgana mortally wounds Merlin before another apprentice, Veronica Gorloisen, absorbs Morgana's soul into her own body. As Morgana tries to kill Veronica from within, the final apprentice, Balthazar Blake stops her by imprisoning Morgana and Veronica in the Grimhold, a magic prison in the shape of a nesting doll. Before dying, Merlin gives Baltazhar a dragon ring that will identify the Prime Merlinean, Merlin's successor who will be the only one able to defeat Morgana. Throughout history Balthazar imprisons Morganians, sorcerers who try to release Morgana, including Horvath, into successive layers on the Grimhold while he searches for the successor.

In 2000, 10-year-old Dave Stutler, encounters Balthazar in a Manhattan antique store. Hoping he is the successor, Balthazar gives him the dragon ring, which comes alive and wraps itself around Dave's finger. Dave accidentally opens the Grimhold, releasing Horvath. While battling for possession of the Grimhold, Balthazar and Horvath are imprisoned in an ancient Chinese urn with a ten-year lock. Dave is humiliated as he is discovered by his teacher and classmates with his pants wet due to a vase that broke in his lap, and as everyone enters the store, there is no trace of the battle, so it is believed Dave made it up.

Ten years later, Dave is a physics student at New York University and has made the reacquaintance of a childhood crush, Becky. The mystical urn opens, releasing Horvath and Balthazar. Horvath goes after Dave in search for the Grimhold, and Dave is eventually rescued by Balthazar, riding an animated steel eagle created out of a Chrysler Building gargoyle.

Dave initially refuses to help Balthazar, but agrees to help as long as he is left alone once the Grimhold is found. They track the Grimhold to Chinatown, where Horvath has released the next Morganian, Sun Lok (Gregory Woo). Dave defeats Sun Lok, and Balthazar retrieves the Grimhold. Dave finds that he wants to learn to use magic after all, and agrees to become Balthazar's apprentice. He also becomes romantically involved with Becky against Balthazar's wishes.

Horvath enlists celebrity magician Drake Stone (Toby Kebbell) to help him retrieve the Grimhold. They attempt to kill Dave, but Balthazar saves him. Cued by Horvath, Dave demands to know the truth about Balthazar's quest. Balthazar reveals that Morgana is trapped in the Grimhold, as well as Veronica; if Morgana escapes she will attempt "The Rising", a spell that will raise sorcerers from the dead and use them to enslave mankind. Dave, as the Prime Merlinian, is the only one who can stop her.

After an incident involving out of control animated mops, Dave decides to give up on magic, but changes his mind when he meets Becky again. He returns to his laboratory just as Drake and Horvath try to kill Balthazar after stealing the Grimhold. Once that is done, Horvath uses the "parasite spell" to steal Drake's energy, and takes his magic ring. He releases the witch Abigail Williams (Nicole Ehinger) and uses her to kidnap Becky. Once Abigail completes that, Horvath steals her energy and pendant as well. Horvath threatens to kill Becky, forcing Dave to surrender the Grimhold and his ring. Balthazar then goes after Horvath in Battery Park, knowing that without the ring Dave will be killed.

Horvath releases Morgana, who still possesses Veronica's body, and she begins the spell as Horvath animates the Charging Bull sculpture to attack Balthazar. With Becky's help, Dave reaches them in time to try to defeat Horvath and stop Morgana from completing the Rising, and Balthazar's eagle flies away with the bull.

Balthazar takes Morgana's soul from Veronica's body into his own, and then Morgana's spirit escapes his body. Morgana tries to incinerate them, but Dave stops her - proving he is the Prime Merlinian by using magic without the ring. The ethereal projection then shoots energy bolts that kill Balthazar before battling Dave, who destroys her after creating a Tesla coil with the square's lamp posts. Balthazar is then revived after Dave jump-starts his heart, and reunites with Veronica. Dave and Becky kiss, and fly to France on Balthazar's eagle.

After the end credits, Horvath takes his hat from Balthazar's shop.