The skills of Master Nicolas Cage are strong, but they cannot save The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Just like this year’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, this latest high concept adventure from Disney see’s uber producer Jerry Bruckheimer once again searching for a successor to his Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. And once again, he has failed.

As more of these films are dumped on the film going public, it has become more apparent that the first Pirates of the Caribbean was more than a one man performance movie.

Poor acting is not something lacking from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Nicolas Cage leads the charge with his unique eccentricities and wry humour. Also in good form is the always reliable Alfred Molina as the menacing villain, and a scene stealing Toby Kobbell who doesn’t get enough screen time with his turn as a sorcerer turned campy entertainer, channelling the pretentious air of Chris Angel and David Copperfield.

The problem lies within its script, a truly awful concoction of generic character arc’s and cliché structure that – in the hands of director Jon Turteltaub – never surprises and periodically entertains.

A rambling prologue lays out the crux of the story: Balthazar (Cage), an apprentice of the great Merlin, scours the Earth over centuries in search for “the one” who is poised to save the world.

That “one” is young physicist major Dave (Jay Baruchel), a nerd cliché who boasts no confidence in his abilities, and is head over pointy magician shoes in love with radio DJ Becky (Australian actress Teresa Palmer).

Dave’s arc has been seen a million times before, and no amount of magic can make it fresh again. Baruchel really pushes the part, whiny voice and all, and in the process undoes all of the good work he put into She’s Out of My League, where one hoped would have seen him end his string of geek performances.

Much is made on the fate of the world being placed upon Dave’s untapped power to conquer evil, yet it is an element that is not expertly executed, nor open to emotional investment.

Where The Sorcerer’s Apprentice does succeed is in its digital manipulation. Great visual effects makes this tale of duelling sorcerer’s much more appealing than its script deserves.

Yet while there is style to its adventure and good talent on display, The Sorcerer’s Adventure is just another amateur trying to fill the summer void that used to sparkle with Disney magic.