The movie was okay but not great. Nicolas Cage was good but I didn't care for the main apprentice character. Many parts of the movie were just not well written or acted. Special effects looked like a ripoff of the Mummy movie. The movie was rated PG but I'd advise against bringing young children as many scenes are too intense.
The local newspaper gave this movie a "D" but our family loved it. Steve Martin was excellent and the jokes and dialog were very witty. This is an old fashioned kind of comedy -- not much high tech but a refreshing change. 12 year old son loved it as much as the parents. We all thought it was better than than the first movie and we highly recommend it.