Visitors Review

Michael Zheng (2012-05-26 03:02)

Not that bad.

I saw this movie yesterday because I had some left over money to spend.This movie was not that bad, but I thought that Jay Baruchel shouldn'thave played Dave. I mean from the role of She's out of my league asKirk to a teen that shoots fireballs from his hand. Come on is thiswhat the world has come to. This is like Dragon ball Z all over again.Disney movies are not my favorites but this movie was not that bad.Apart from the terrible fight scenes, I think this Disney movie came upshort.I have to give props to Nicolas Cage. He really pulled of his role asBalthazar the sorcerer. This movie totally bombed (in a bad way) in thebox office. Disney's major selling point was from Toy Story 3 andwithout Toy Story 3, Disney would have been in bad shape for making badmovies. Jerry Bruckheimer needs to rethink his plan for making movieslike he did for Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Neil Welch (2012-05-25 15:29)

Undemanding fun

Balthazar (Nicholas Cage) is one of Merlin's three apprentices. He endsup in modern day New York doing his best to train Dave (Jay Baruchel)who may be the next apprentice, because bad things are about to happeninvolving Horvath (Alfred Molina), another one of the originalapprentices, and Morgan Le Faye (Alice Krige). Don't ask, really -there is a plot of sorts, but it doesn't really matter very much.When I was in my teens, in those long ago pre home video days, I wentto the cinema a number of times to see The Raven (one of the RogerCorman/Edgar Allen Poe movies, this one starring Boris Karloff andVincent Price). The appeal was that the movie featured a duel of thewizards sequence, and it was so cool that I simply had to watch it anumber of times. Well, that sequence, a big favourite at the time, isutterly pedestrian by comparison to the wizard duelling which goes onhere - the effects are superb, and there are lots of them.The story is perfectly fine, if not particularly challenging, thecharacters are well enough drawn (Cage has fun, Baruchel does well, andMolina steals the show), and the movie hits its mark well enough. Aswith Price Of Persia earlier in the year there is a feeling thatDisney/Bruckheimer are trying out for another Pirates Of The Caribbeanfranchise. The Sorcerer's Apprentice doesn't have a Captain Jack, butit's good fun for all that.And Fantasia fans are not going to be disappointed!

(2012-05-24 02:16)

Entertaining, If Not Very Original, Family Picture

Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. If I remember correctly, not many people thought that a Disney theme park ride could be a huge hit franchise, but Jack Sparrow, pirate captain in the Caribbean, turned out otherwise. So it is only natural that Hollywood studios have made a new fantasy adventure film "suggested" by "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," eight-minute segment of the classic animated film "Fantasia" released in 1940. Well, the beloved Mickey Mouse tale is actually based on Goethe's poem, so why not make another one?"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starring Nicholas Cage as the sorcerer Balthazar Blake is a pretty well-made, if not very unoriginal, family-oriented adventure film. It is good clean fun like Cage's "National Treasure" franchise and in fact "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is helmed by Jon Turteltaub, director of two "National Treasure" films. Skip the lengthy introduction about Merlin and three apprentices. Mostly set in 2010 New York City, the film's story is in short about the battle between the good magician and the evil one. Nicholas Cage is a good magician Balthazar, and Alfred Molina evil one Horvath. The evil magician wants to destroy the world as it is. The good one wants to stop it. The bad one enlists the celebrity "magician" Drake Stone (Toby Kebbell). The good one trains a college student Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) as his apprentice. Set-pieces of the magical battles are enjoyable, all finished with first-rate CGI techniques, but some interesting characters (Drake Stone, in particular) are sidelined by the action, and Monica Bellucci as Merlin's apprentice Veronica has little to do in the story. Also, there is a brief sequence of enchanted brooms, but the "live-action" version of the tale from "Fantasia," amusing as it is, looks out of place in the storyline. The subplot about the young hero's childhood friend (Teresa Palmer) fares slightly better, though not as impressive as the romance of Peter Parker and Mary Jane.Cliché-ridden as it is, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is an entertaining family picture. Pretty good, if not great.

oneguyrambling (2012-05-23 06:28)

Shiny and expensive, but lacking spirit and any real adventure.

A while back a guy named Merlin took on three pupils: Balthazar,Morgana and Horvath. One went rogue… Balthazar was then forced to trapMorgana and Horvath in a magical receptacle that looked like RussianDolls, and because the only sorcerer powerful enough to kill Morganaonce and for all – The Prime Merlinian – doesn't even exist yet therethey remain… For about 1,000 years. Over which time many things change,but not Balthazar's raggedy S&M wizard outfit and scruffy "if I wearthe wig do I still have to act?" hair.A chance encounter introduces a 10 year old Dave to proceedings andBalthazar immediately twigs that this is no random event – and thatDave is in fact something a little special. Bet you can't guess inwhich way.Unfortunately young Dave inadvertently releases Horvath from hisimprisonment and in the ensuing battle both he and Balthazar aretrapped in another receptacle which is apparently time locked for 10years. Compared to the thousand Horvath just spent that should be awalk in the park.10 years on… Dave is a big boy now, and he has written off the previousmeeting as a wild daydream. Dave (Jay Baruchel) is a sciency-smartself-professed nerd, eschewing the normal college misadventures and thepursuit of tail for the pursuit of knowledge – until he runs into hishottt (all t's warranted) childhood schoolmate named Becky, now acollege radio DJ.Becky actually adds nothing to the movie, her presence is basicallyextraneous. But at this point I would like to point out that this is aDisney movie and love interests are just mandatory. In fact there arethree or four forced Disney moments where they simply try too hard tobe charming and humorous, but wind up being try hard and annoying.So to fast track this review Horvath and Balthazar both get out andcontinue on with fighting over the Russian Dolls with evil Morgana andBalthazar's missus in it. Balthazar once again runs into Dave andconvinces him to act as his apprentice, leading to alternating trainingmontages and chase scenes that basically make up the remainder of thefilm, Horvath wants to release Morgana and Balthazar wants to stop him– with Becky and Dave's burgeoning lurrvvve humming along in thebackground.It is all very PG 13.Dave's stuttery, twitchy likability gets old real fast, especially asI've now seen it in 4 or 5 films. Every "Wha?", "Woah" and "Hold on asec" twigs a gag reflex I didn't think I had.Nicolas Cage looks like he needs a nudge during scenes at times he isso obviously sleepwalking, I guess when you're making a transparentcash in on Harry Potter in the hope of creating another multi-billiondollar franchise every day must seem like hump day.There are CGI wolves, a giant mechanical hawk, a group of Chinesedragon dancers are magically morphed into becoming an actual dragon,and the Wall Street bull comes to life, technically it all looks finebut if you don't care about the story that's all that remains, an emptytechnical achievement.There is one truly cool visual in the entire movie and you've seen it –it's in the trailer. Unless you have a desperate hankering for some PGmagic and can't wait until Harry Potter 27 comes out I would advise youto watch the trailer again. Then go watch another film.The three times I nearly smiled were when the film made directreferences to three other films, and I think I smiled momentarily as Ithought of watching them instead of this.Final Rating – 5 / 10. This is all so carefully constructed, it looksshiny and expensive but the one thing it seems to lack is spirit and alittle adventure.

PadawanEricaDawn (2012-05-22 14:29)

A film that definitely deserves your time.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a mix of the television series Merlin, theAlchemyst book series from Michael Scott, and a dash of Doctor Who. Inthis world, anything is possible through magic using science. However,it requires not one, but two different prologues to explain everything.This must be why the marketing department didn't bother to explain thatthe movie revolves around the mortal enemies of Merlin and Morgana leFay. It was a very refreshing take on Merlin to kill him off in thefirst five minutes and set up Morgana for a present day awakening.Naturally, Merlin needs a successor but his personal "sword in thestone" takes the form of a ring: a dragon that sleeps until the day hemeets the special boy that will defeat Morgana forever.Enter, David Stutler, a screw-up kid who can't do anything right. Yet,who can resist a ten-year-old with a Buzz Lightyear alarm clock? JakeCherry is well-cast and well-trained to mirror the mannerisms of JayBaruchel, his grown-up counterpart who appears in the next scene.Baruchel first starred in the short lived television series,Undeclared. After nine years of being the co-star, his biggest role todate was the unseen voice actor for Hiccup in Dreamworks' How to TrainYour Dragon. Here, he's the titular character and pulls it off, eventhough his hair does seem Ten-ish. (Or perhaps Tennant-ish would be thebetter term.) Even more surprising was Nicholas Cage. His career seemedto have hit a creative plateau where his name was no longer a draw.Then, Kickass came along and reminded us why we liked him in the firstplace. His character is Balthazar Blake and was an apprentice ofMerlin. For over a thousand years, he's lived to help save the worldfrom the acolytes of Morgana and to find Merlin's successor. Usually,Cage appears too laid back, but here, even in silence you can see himacting whether it's the frown of his lips or the haunted look in hiseyes. You can see the thousand years he's lived through and what it'smeant to him.The Sorcerer's Apprentice runs under two hours, but never appears tooslow or too fast. The action only rests for a moment so the viewer cancatch their breath before it picks up again: betrayals, double-crosses,dragons coming alive or the greatest car chase ever. There is never amoment to stop and let the audience's minds reflect on whether theyneed more milk in the fridge or if they ought to get new shoes.The film is inspired by the cartoon short in Fantasia featuring MickeyMouse which was in turn inspired by a Victorian symphonic poem by PaulDukas. The required scene was done in a cute way that doesn't tarnishthe original and there is a further reference if you stay through allthe credits. This is the best film Jerry Bruckheimer has produced sincethe first two installments of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Rizar (2012-05-22 13:22)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010, PG)

The public demand for magic may begin to dwindle if movies like "TheLast Airbender" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" become the standardbearers to replace the immense worlds of Harry Potter and Lord of theRings. As far as fantasy goes, Airbender is actually preferable toApprentice: it had more potential, more ideas, and more beautifullandscapes. Jon Turteltaub's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a goof-ballaction film with a mere gimmick: a nerdy physics student, Dave (JayBaruchel), finds out he has secret abilities he didn't know about.The opening of the movie has an odd and lengthy back story to sorcery,told in random glimpses of ancient sword and magic fights and otherhistorical events that took place since the time of Merlin. It's likewatching a sequence written by a 4th grader using run on sentences, orperhaps listing to a story told by someone with dementia. Just rememberthat some of the most evil sorcerers in history were encased in layersof a small Russian doll trap (the Grimhold) until such time that the"Prime Merlinian", an ultra powerful sorcerer, comes to power anddestroys the evil sorcerers for good.After that confusing mess, the story begins in present day New York. Ithas charming moments as Dave (Jake Cherry) has a childhood romance witha young version of Becky (Peyton List), a fellow 4th grade classmate.He writes a note to ask her whether she wants to be "friend orgirlfriend". But the note with her answer gets caught in a magicaldraft of air, leading young Dave to an old antique shop, which is runby Balthazar (Nicolas Cage). Dave learns about a magical ring, touchesa few of the wrong things, and sets in motion the release of adangerous sorcerer (Horvath) from the doll trap.The film flashes forward 10 years. Dave is now a physics student atcollege. But events from his youth reemerge when Balthazar takes Daveas his apprentice to learn the art of magic-science. Dave learns thatmagical powers result from using his whole brain rather than 10% of it.He wonders whether magic is a science. Balthazar says it's "both".You could quibble over the film's silly view of science, and note thatmagic only becomes remotely plausible in the absence of scientificexplanations of physical phenomenon or in the ultimate failure to usephysical phenomenon to manipulate nature, but the film doesn't dwell onsuch things so it would miss the point. The film is built aroundaction, stunts, gags, and special effects. It doesn't spend timewondering about anything that would make a person imagine or enjoy thestory's possibilities.Dave is more interested in courting Becky than focusing on his magiclessons. But danger lurks because Horvath, a powerful sorcerer from thetime of Merlin, seeks to free his fellow ancient sorcerers, especiallythe most powerful of all of them: Morgana (Alice Krige).Some of the special effects are worth watching. Balthazar (NicolasCage) summons forth a mess of confetti to confuse a rampaging dragon.He uses watery mirror traps to create alternate realities whereeverything is backwards. And Dave and him enjoy flying on metalgriffins.Additionally, some of the gags brought laughs from the audience. Davegets nailed in the groin, he sets mops and brooms loose in a mass ofchaos, and he uses a flaming trash can to thwart a thief. It had onewitty scene in which Dave and his roommate compare tutoring physics 101students (including English and Music majors) to a charitable publicservice.But it has awkward moments in the training phases, especially when Daveteaches Becky (he's still trying to win her heart) about his plasmaexperiment and the music it creates. He's trying to win her over (she'sa music major) by pretending he had never noticed the beauty of hiswork, but he must be one of the few physics students to ignore theaesthetic beauty of physical laws and mathematics. The scene is beyondawkward as he hoots about their nerdy fascination with musical plasma.It's the sort of scene someone writes when they try to make somethinginteresting that they don't think is interesting; that they think is acharitable service for dimwits who would never understand science.Dave's powers mature out of nowhere, and he seems to understandinformation that his character hasn't learned yet. Suddenly he knowsthat magic rings add power to Horvath's staff. He casts protectiveshields like a pro against some of the most dangerous sorcerers inhistory. He's not even much like a human being by the time the storygets to its climax. It's as if his Merlin blood started magicallypalpitating and let out its knowledge and power in a burst of lazyscript writing. They should have made him into an alien and gave him achamber of crystals like Superman. The ending also borders on absurdityand seems nothing more than an advertisement for a future sequel.The plot is painful throughout. The 6 credited writers never found away to make high intensity action, fantastical comic moments, andromance all fit together nicely. It's a mess of a movie with someinstants of interesting special effects or comical gags, but almostzero fascinating fantasy ideas and too many awkward moments that seemlike someone wanted some laughs and lightness someplace, anyplace, inthe script.

(2012-05-20 17:31)

The Sorcer's Apprentice

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (DVD) I am glad I added this to my collection. It should be in everybodys collection who is a Disney fan. Also mr. cage and cast dose a good job telling the story.

JoeJames76 (2012-05-20 02:24)

So Formulaic and Ridiculous!! Poor Cage and Molina :(

Cage and Molina make magic happen, until it all goes POOF!! in the 2ndhalf, Bruckheimer formula blows again; C-Seriously? This is what two Oscar worthy actors can offer? Cage andMolina would have been an awesome hero and villain combo, but the darnkid and his ridiculous girlfriend plot keep getting in the way. Not tomention that Monica the magnificent is barely in the film at all.Mid way through it is obvious that we are following the Bruckheimerformula of connect the dots summer movie "magic". Change location,stage mini action sequence, change location, have pathetic romantic subplot, change location, insert silly animal antics, change location,insert car chase (really? they are frickin' sorcerers!! why the h3##are they DRIVING around??!?!!).If you want to waste your money, go ahead. They DID spend some on theF/X, but nothing new to see here. In fact, spend your money on seeingsomething else you liked a second time. You'll be thankful.

robertshap (2012-05-18 22:35)

Dorky guy gets the girl

This movie depicts how a guy who has been picked on most of his lifecan rise up and be a hero. Jay Baruchel is perfect for this role. Hismannerism and quirkiness was a perfect match for this lead. Picking ahunky actor would have been an injustice for what this movie was allabout. I rarely buy a movie but this pic was so endearing that i had tohave a copy. In addition the music was perfect - especially the endingsong Phoenix burn by Alpha Rev. If you enjoy endearing characters alongwith special effects and excellent role casting then i highly recommendthis movie. get the Blu-ray edition. I found a dual disc version onAmazon for $15 delivered.

Jose (2012-05-18 00:51)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice makes H.Potter a wimp!!!

I first started to hate the film because it didn't spark me, like some movies, when the preview came out. Then later, as it progress, it was clear that The Sorcerer's Apprentice was going to be a knock-out to everybody. I was also suprised about Nic Cage being in the film and Disney was going to produce the film as well. I thought it was going to be another animation film because of the title. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" sounds like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck will be back from Harry Potter school. The visuals were great and well design. Some parts of the film had really hilarious bits and thats what makes the film great because it's a family film. Cool thing about the film is the charisma and connection with the two main actors.(It's like the PG version of Bad Boys 1 and 2)I love the new films that are coming out this year including the new Inception, Paranormal Activity 2, and Saw 3-D: The Traps are Alive, etc.I hope that this film will stay on the box-office for a long time because if you want to bring your kids to see a family film, this is the movie you want to spend your money on!!!I give The Sorcerer's Apprentice a 95 percent average for knowing what to do for a family flick and well desvered for its time. SoI can't wait till the film comes to dvd and when it does, I will treasure it like Real Magic!!!!!

(2012-05-16 17:35)

Our family loves this show

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) Tragically this movie did not get the love it deserved in the theaters. I blame Disney for the lackluster marketing push -- although I will say that they pleased me immensely with a snatch of Depeche Mode music in one of the trailers. Anyway, this movie is good fun. It's the kind of movie you watch for pure enjoyment.

(2012-05-16 09:22)

nick cage finds himself

Its about time Nick Cage finally finds a role he fits!! Aside from Gone In 60 Seconds.. with a great cast too...........this was very entertaining and nonstop magic! Hope he does more like this. ......All ages loved this in the theater and was glad it came to video so soon.........Hope the next movie coming out (same hairdo) is as good........

(2012-05-14 21:23)

A Romance

My husband and I were looking forward to seeing the Sourcerer's Apprentice with great enthusiasm, as we enjoy good magical videos and really like Nicholas Cage. The movie was interesting and has some cool special effects. However we both felt that it centered too much on romance and not enough on the training of the sorcerer's apprentice. If you like romances then this is a must go. If you're into magic, the romance outweighs the magic.

(2012-05-14 10:53)

loved it! and i will rewatch!

i loved the sorcerer's apprentice! i loved all the people thgey picked for the characters! i belive nicolas cage was a good pick for balthazar! (sorry if i spelt his name wrong) i felt it was fun, entertaining, funny (but not like a comedy) but there were still fun laughs in places you wouldnt expect. i loved the effects! here is a summary of the movie without giving away the ending.merlin had three apprentice's balthazar,veronica,horvath and he had one enemy, morgonna. horvath betrayed merlin and morgana ended up killing merlin. veronica traped morgona's soul in hers,but morgana started to kill veronica from the inside so balthazar trapped them both in a doll called the grim hold over time he also traps horvath.as merlin was dieing he gave balthazar his ring and told him to find the prime merlinian. for there you meet dave who's played by jay baruchel ( who also plays in how to train your dragon, as hiccup) he is the one merlin talks about and dave meets balthazar and gets merlins ring. in the prosses horvath gets released and trys to get dave. balthazar fights him off but they both end up getting caught in this pot that traps you for 10 years. daves gets away with the ring. ok well its gonna take a while to write the whole summary but i really want everyone to know how go a movie this is. its filled with awsome affects and for the romantics reading this review, when you really think about this movie the events that happen are all because of romance and love so i guess thats nice to. its an awsome movie 100% will be watching this movie agin! please its a better movie than people think. they think just because its with sorcercers and magic they think its stupid! well if you dont like magic and more inportantly AWESOMENESS dont watch this movie.and lately everones bad mouthin nicolas cage. i dont know whats up with that but whatever dont not watch this movie because of what everones sayin that hes been a bad actor latley. here in THIS MOVIE he is a great actor, so in conlusion this is a great movie! please watch it!

(2012-05-13 17:55)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

This review is from: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (DVD) This movie has a great story. It lets us know that the good guys can still win in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances.

lostagain_tilnow (2012-05-13 05:22)

Fun movie

I really enjoyed this movie. I am a Nicolas Cage fan and try to see allhis movies. I was going to see the movie by myself cause most people myage were not that interested. Then I asked my 12 year old grandson ifhe would like to go see it with me. It was fun and we had some greatlaughs. It was just right for his age, not any bad words oruncomfortable sex scenes. It wasn't silly. Totally suitable for afamily outing to the movies. My grandson said it was much better thanhe expected and I had to agree. The people around us at the theaterwere having a good time. I would definitely recommend this movie. Itmade me feel good.

(2012-05-11 22:24)

This movie was a joke! Could have been great, but no......

This movie had all the potential going for it, but became a laughable end product. Jay Berachel, as the apprentice was pathetic, and an absolute joke. His whiney manner and voice may have been acceptable in "How to train your Dragon", but in this movie his constant loser, whiney manner just loses the audience completely. I couldn't stand his whiney, loser attitude after the first 25 minutes and then listening to his constant whiney delivery throughout the movie was shear torture! This film had everything going and then blew it, especiallyfor with the cast. The hero was so mis-cast and out of place it was laughable. In addition, there was no redemption for the hero, as the end was so contrived, "trite", and a totally predictable finish to the movie. Little, if no, character development in the story and the movie was just not even believable. The hero whines constantly, can't do anything right, doesn't really learn magic from his mentor, but yet wins in the end. I don't get it! Pass on this one....

(2012-05-11 10:38)

Lots of fun from start to finish!

If you think a good movie is filled with clever humor, rollicking adventure, innocent romance and good actors you will be sure to enjoy The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It's just good movie making, well paced with just the right balance of great characters, charm, action and fantasy, Disney did a fine job with this one. A satisfying story and one of the better movies of recent years. Kids and adults will be entertained.If you think a good movie requires F-bombs, vulgar jokes and low-life characters you may be disappointed.

thekyles99 (2012-05-09 17:16)

Another winner from Bruckheimer and Disney

2010....meh the movies have been so-so and myself being a movie loverhad to be dragged to the movie theatre. I'm thinking I'm not wastingthe top dollar the movie theatres soak out of your wallet for any ofthe trash they have been putting out lately....Well thank you to twothings #1 Disney and #2 Nicolas Cage both never seem to disappoint. Asfar as i am concerned all the Nic Cage haterz out there can go blow asi can think of a lot more actors i cant stand to watch as they have onepainful performance after another. Cage doesn't fit that bill at all.Everything that i have seen Mr. Cage in as of the last 5 or so yearshas been truly entertaining. Cage plays Balthazar an age old sorcererwho looking for the last of the great sorcerers when he finds him andhis name is David (Jay Baruchel) After giving very nerdy David a crashcourse in sorcery to put a stop to an age old nemesis of Balthazar'sand the famous Merlin, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) who has escapedhis inescapable prison to un leash an age old witch which will doom allof mankind. Together Balthazar and David combine their magic tohopefully conquer evil once and for all. Great casting and producerJerry Bruckheimer = awesomeness in an action sequence fantasy landthats filled with cgi and sci fi eye candy. Don't let the critics foolu(as i never do) this is one Cage film not too miss!

JoeytheBrit (2012-05-09 09:11)

Predictable Magic

Nic Cage adds to his wig collection with a supporting role as theeponymous sorcerer in this tepid offering from the House of Mouse,leaving the leading man role to the equally annoying Jay Baruchel, ayoung actor with the voice (and charisma) of a comical cartoonsidekick. The film itself harks back to Disney's own Fantasia, with asequence in which Dave Stutler, the science nerd who just happens tohave a trace of Merlin's blood running through his veins, ill-advisedlyattempts to clean his cavernous living quarters using hisstill-developing magic skills, with predictable consequences. Suchcomparisons are also ill-advised as this 2010 serves only to signifyhow closely the studio is now identified with homogeneous Hollywoodfare.Nic Cage's Balthazar, himself an apprentice to the great Merlin, hassearched for Stutler for a thousand years because Stutler is the onlyone who can save the world from the evil plot of Alfred Molina's MaximHorvath to release the even more evil Morgana from a Russian doll inwhich she has been imprisoned with Balthazar's true love. Of course,Stutler proves to be a somewhat hapless apprentice whose magic learningcurve is repeatedly interrupted by the attentions of the obligatorylove interest.The plot follows a course of mind-numbing predictability, ticking offall the boxes as it goes and taking great care to remain within thenarrow confines of mainstream movie-making. There's plenty of visualeffects to divert the audience's mind from the mundane plot, but youcan't help wishing they'd maybe cut back on a couple of effects andspent the money on delivering a script that actually makes us want tosit all the way through to the final credits. As it is, the film is sosaturated with computer-created visual wonders that it overplays itshand so that there's nothing special left for the final showdown.