The Prestige
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Movie Reviews of The Prestige
Movie Review: "Are you watching closely?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Christopher Nolan just seems to go from strength to strength. The Prestige may have inexplicably missed out on a screen writing nomination at the Oscars, but it's one of the best screen adaptations in years, its excellent and ingenious script displaying confidence both in its potentially outrageous material and its audiences' intelligence, hiding all the answers in plain sight from the very first shot. Even the dialogue pulls off the triple feat of being rich with double meanings which repay repeat viewing, right for each scene it appears in and, far from being clever just for the sake of it, naturally furthering the plot and the characters in entertaining and intriguing ways. But then, half the trick is making it look effortless (although in an inversion of that, both the film's on screen magicians are so accomplished they have to make their illusions look harder than they are to get the audience's approval).
Either deceptively elaborate or deceptively simple (either definition applies, and each in their most positive sense), Christopher Nolan's tale of duelling magicians manages to be both highly entertaining and surprisingly dark: this isn't a war of words, but one where people get hurt, fingers get lost, people die. The film is full of mirroring and doubling, so it's not surprising that the magicians' feud mirrored by Nikola Tesla's equally dangerous feud with Thomas Edison over the electricity that may or may not be the key to the mystery - if there even is a mystery.
Magic is the perfect metaphor for both storytelling and movie-making - in a way the film could almost be an allegory about why movie buffs usually make the worst movies. Each protagonist is an incomplete man in every sense of the word. Bale has the genius but not the ability to sell his illusions to an audience. Jackman has the showmanship but not the originality to create a truly great trick. In the middle is Michael Caine's ingeneur, the backstage genius with the surprisingly unconvincing cockney accent (too many years of high living, Michael?), caught somewhere between director and ghost writer in the scheme of things.
Not that it's without flaws. It is perhaps too easy to guess Bale's big personal secret simply by the manner Nolan chooses to shoot certain shots, although there are more than enough twists not for it to matter too much if you don't get them all. And, in another part that shows up Scarlet Johannson's weaknesses as an actress, the nominal leading lady is effortlessly outshone by Rebecca Hall and, yes, Piper Perabo in smaller roles. Still, Nolan does manage to pull off the amazing feat of getting an excellent performance out of David Bowie, through the obvious-now-you-think-about-it technique of focussing on the singer's voice as much as his natural presence.
Ultimately, it's a film that could be about everything or about absolutely nothing, one that is either led entirely by plot contrivances or one where the themes and storytelling dictate the characters' actions far more than credibility, and where the biggest trick is that ultimately there is no trick. All interpretations seem equally valid, which is part of the fun. And best of all, it's a delight to watch.
The DVD extras are, for once on a Nolan film, disappointingly mundane, but it's worth picking up for the film itself.
Movie Review: The Prestige
Summary: 5 Stars
The Prestige is a work of film making genius. The plot has so many twists and turns it will successfully keep you guessing until the end. Every time the ending of the story seems clear another twist will muddle it up again. The Prestige is written by Jonathan Nolan and directed by Christopher Nolan. These brothers team up on this project along with Christopher's wife Emma Thomas, as a producer, to create a masterpiece of immense proportions.
The Prestige is an entrancing story of two friends turned enemies. In this thrilling story two magicians, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, battle for one another's power and fame, often allowing their obsession to get the best of them. Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale) begin the movie as friends working a mutual magic act as plants in the audience, but after Angier's wife dies in one of the tricks, he blames Borden and a bitter rivalry is born.
The acting by Jackman and Bale is superb, as is that of Scarlet Johansson as the charming Olivia Wenscombe. Olivia is a beautiful assistant haired by Angier to help him one up Borden. After Borden opens a new act called the transporter man, where he appears to disappear and immediately reappear across stage, Angier sends Olivia to spy on Borden and discover his secret. This secret becomes the object of an even greater obsession. An obsession that began with seeking revenge for his wife's death quickly turns to an obsession to simply destroy Borden, which will ultimately destroy him as well. Angier goes as far at one point to tell Olivia that he doesn't care about his wife, he only wants Borden's secrets.
These two men feed off each other throughout the entire movie constantly trying to outdo the other, going as far as broken legs, gunshot wounds, kidnappings, and ultimately murder. Nothing is too extreme for these men when revenge is within their reach. Jackman and Bale make this rivalry so intense and believable you're left trying to figure out even who is the "good guy" and who is the "bad guy." While this is the least of the questions that must be answered through the course of this movie, it keeps you guessing just as well as the rest and the answer isn't revealed until the last few minutes of the movie.
While this is a wonderful story line for a movie, some of the morals taught through the events of the movie are not very good. The major themes of this movie are revenge, deception, and competition. None of which are themes that I would want running through my life or the lives of those I care about. The saddest part about this story is that these lives of revenge, and deceit were chosen by the men that they consumed. I did however like that the consequences of these choices are shown in the end, but unfortunately, one of these "bad guys" gets off clean and gets his life back, for the most part.
Much like the great magic tricks shown by these two men, The Prestige will have you watching it over and over, trying to spot how they were able to pull off the elaborate tricks that are the prestige of this wonderful movie.
Movie Review: Truly magical!
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many reviews here that have so eloquently explained why this film is a must-see, but I have to share my enthusiasm nevertheless. The Prestige is a dark and intense gothic thriller set during the turn of the twentieth century and it tells the story of Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), two struggling magicians who turn against each other after a magic trick goes wrong, costing the life of Angier's wife. Angry, Angier tries every way to outdo Borden in magic tricks and fame. His motive is revenge at first, but then it takes a life of its own when discovering Borden's secrets and tricks become an obsession. There are many twists throughout the film, which include some rather flooring scenes.
I loved this film and its dark tone from beginning to end. It isn't the typical thriller by any means, for it's got substance mostly brought on by the excellent direction of Christopher Nolan and the magnificent performances by Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine. Christian Bale is by far the best in this film. He brings Borden's many complexities to life and he does leave you puzzled with his behavioral changes and hard-to-figure-out personality. His performance floored me. I've never seen this actor in a film before, and in addition to his good looks and gorgeous Welsh accent, I enjoyed his delivery and I look forward to watching him in other films. Jackman surprised me here. I'd seen him in romantic comedies and in those Van Helsing and X-Men movies and thought that was all he was capable of doing, but his stellar performance here has proven me wrong. Plus, he looks gorgeous. I cannot resist a tall, dark and handsome man in a cravat. There are other fine performances here, one of them by David Bowie, who plays the legendary Victorian scientist Nikola Tesla. The weakest link, acting-wise, is Scarlett Johansson, who uses one of the worst imitations of an English accent I've ever heard. As for other aspects, the characterization Angier, Borden and the others is flawless. The majority of the characters, namely the protagonists, are not meant to be sympathetic. In fact, they are flawed, unlikeable people who are selfish and sinister in more ways than one. (Though I admit I felt bad for Angier because he was so tortured and corrupted with obsession that I truly felt for the character.) That is what makes this film dark in a rather unique way. I love the cinematography, the late 19th Century England setting, and the overall dark plot. This, as I and others have already said, is a must-see. I watched this on iTunes and bought the DVD afterwards because I couldn't get enough and because this is the sort of movie you have to watch a few times in order to fully understand it. I've watched it twice already and discovered things I hadn't noticed at first. I wish I had read the book this film is based on before watching the movie. Ah, well. Anyway, this is highly recommended.
Movie Review: One of the finest films of 2006
Summary: 5 Stars
This year brought us two magic movies and both were good in their own way. Only one of them was truly great, though. I enjoyed "The Illusionist" thoroughly. My only problem was that I felt it was bogged down by a rote love story and a predictable ending. After seeing "The Prestige", I felt like the filmmakers had learned a lesson from "The Illusionist" on how not to make a film about magic. Of course that isnt really possible considering they had to have been made around the same time. In fact, "The Prestige" may have been shot earlier as Nolan was getting in to work on the next Batman film. In several interviews, Christopher Nolan regarded "The Prestige" almost as a stop-gap film. He said he wanted to do something small and quick before going back to Batman. Which makes his achievement here all the more impressive.
He has crafted a movie with real magic in it that seems to have an endless amount of thought put into it. This movie gets better and better and better every time you see it. For this man's stop-gap film to be so thoughtful and rewarding, one can only imagine what kind of a movie he would make if he was really going all out. But maybe that kind of toss-off attitude is what's key to this movie's success. It feels so fresh and alive partly because the performances seem off the cuff and spontaneous. Like maybe the director got together with some buddies and said, "Let's have some fun with this". And much of the fun in this movie revolves around messing with your head. Yeah, you. The one watching the movie.
"The Prestige" plays like a magic trick from beginning to end. Without spoiling anything, I must say that the description of a magic trick that Michael Caine gives in the movie can easily apply to the construction of the actual film he's saying it in. The opening shot is really fantastic as it sets the dark mood and gives you an important clue in unlocking the film's secrets. Of particular note as well is the fine work of the two lead actors, particularly Hugh Jackman, who has displayed an incredible range this year with both his dual role here (don't ask) and his career best work in "The Fountain". These two incredibly talented guys spar with each other in a far more satisfying way than Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti do in "The Illusionist". Here you feel a real danger and ferocity that hits you right in the gut. Kudos also to David Bowie for being awesome in just about everything I've seen him do with acting. He makes Nicola Tesla, a real man, this iconic, almost Godlike figure of mystery and genius.
I think I've said enough. This movie stands on its own as one of the best movies I've seen this year. And I've made it a point to see pretty much every movie that has been buzzed about or praised this year, along with some pretty crappy ones as well (as of now I've seen 87 movies released in 2006).
Movie Review: Surprisingly Good!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me just say that, I really didn't have any high expectations for this movie. I saw it as a preview while I was waiting until the movie I paid to see began. Frankly, at this point, I'm thinking..right? A movie about magicians, that should be interesting. I'm glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was. There isn't too much that I can say that hasn't already been said, but this movie isn't for simple minds. I actually had to watch this movie at least 3 times, and each time, I discovered something new. You really have to pay close attention to this one because if you miss anything you will be lost. I don't wanna spoil the ending, but depending on the person, I guess it could be interpreted 3 different ways. However, I wanna get to the meat of the story. This movie is about 2 magicians, Robert Angier, played by Hugh Jackman, and Alfred Borden, played by Christian Bale. Robert is known as "The Great Danton", and he obviously has more showmanship than fellow magician. Alfred is known as "The Professor", and he obviously is known for obviously being the better magician, but with no stlye. At any rate, a magic trick goes horribly wrong, and results in the death of Angier's wife for which he blames Borden. Thus, starting the fued of all fueds, the rivalry of all rivalries. They now dedicate themselves to destroying each other's lives. That includes everything from stealing each others tricks to sabatoging each others magic shows. This movie is ultimately about revenge, and how that revenge turns into an ugly obsession, and how that obsession can consume your entire life, and that usually leads to death, destruction, and misery for all parties involved. The cast is amazing, Michael Caine is a delight to see as always. Christian Bale's character is dark as ever just like most of his roles in everything from "American Psycho" to "Batman Begins". With that being said, in the end, you can't feel sorry for any of these characters because they brought this misery on themselves by not being able to accept a loss, and walk away. Although, it's hard to tell in the end who ultimately has the last laugh so to speak. Ultimately, they both deserved each other, and they both deserved what they got. I will tell you this..spoiler! When watching this movie keep in mind that the beginning is indeed the end, and the end does indeed explain what you see in the beginning. So, it is reversed, but if you pay close attention you'll see that hindsight is 20/20 vision, so they are giving you clues to the ending the entire movie hence the line..."Are you watching closely?" The ending also leaves you thinking about whether or not real magic does exist. I almost forgot to say that David Bowie is in this movie, and I couldn't even recognize him at first. David is always a sight to see, and he does play the great Nikola Tesla quite classy and elegant.