The Prestige
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Movie Reviews of The Prestige
Movie Review: A Magical Film...in more ways than one
Summary: 5 Stars
Magic is a pleasure bred deep within us all. If for a moment we can be taken away from a world that has become normal, we call that magic. Reading a fantasy novel can be magical, seeing a wonderful film can be magical, noticing an intimate moment in the world can be magical.
The Prestige is truly a magical movie. While it's plot focuses on magic and illusions, the real magic comes in the portrayal of human emotions in this movie. The Prestige is a story of love; a story of obsessions, revenge, identities, and trickery all done in the name of love. Love can become obsessive at times. Love for another person or love for perfection.
The movie follows two rival magicians in London. Both are trying to achieve the ultimate performance. What starts off as a friendship ends in a competition so fierce that nothing is forsaken. Both magicians strive for the secret (or the prestige) of the others trick. What one has the other wants. I don't want to say too much more as I don't want to give away the movie for those who have not seen it. But it is wonderful, and I would recommend buying this one rather than renting it. You'll want to see it again as soon as it's over.
The acting was superb in this movie. I'm becoming more and more of a Christian Bale fan. I've always liked him, but I've only recently come to respect him so much as an actor. He was amazing in this movie. The surprise performance of the movie for me was David Bowie as Nikolha Tesla. He was wonderful! I expected his acting to be forced, but it was perfect. Nods to him. Hugh Jackman is wonderful as always, as is the gorgeous Scarlett Johansen. I've come to find that I like just about any movie that she is in. Michael Caine is wonderful as always and has that same charm that he always has.
The movie was filmed beautifully and captured the era perfectly. Every scene has a eerie yet comforting darkness about it and it is the total lack of special effects that makes this movie so wonderful and so authentic. The story relies much more on human emotions and interaction than the magic itself. I would've been happy with just a movie about magic, but what makes The Prestige so wonderful is that it does an amazing job at portraying the human psyche and the lengths that we go to for obsessions and for perfection.
Movie Review: Revenge To The End
Summary: 5 Stars
If one had to pare down THE PRESTIGE to two words, they would undoubtedly be "dark" and "twisted." Coming from director Christopher Nolan, who gave us the BATMAN BEGINS gem, this shouldn't surprise anyone. Nolan is also responsible for the successful somewhat underground-ish film, MEMENTO, another flick that fits perfectly within those two pared-down words.
Similar in style to THE ILLUSIONIST, but with much more substance, The Prestige has a unique flow and some surprisingly good acting from previously unknown places.
Like Memento, the story jumps around time-wise, going from present tense, to past, then even further past before heading back to present tense (excuse the use of literary style rather than film, as this seems to also apply here), director Nolan has given us a study in revenge based on the lives of two fictitious magicians in the late 1800s. They are Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman, THE FOUNTAIN), and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale, BATMAN BEGINS). Initially friends who's relationship is shattered by the death of Robert's wife after a terrible on-stage accident, the two become mortal enemies in a one-upmanship that leads to bad ends for both men.
The two opponents are willing to do whatever it takes in order to be the best magicians in the world. This often entails "getting one's hands dirty." Severing body parts, breaking one another's bones, and using anything and anyone to further their goals is a necessary evil.
Double, triple, and quadruple-crosses await the viewer in this stark but beautifully filmed movie. The sets are awe-inspiring (in their own dark way) and each shot given plenty of thought with regards to shadow and contrasts.
The big winners for the film, though, are the script and a surprisingly excellent performance by David Bowie as the genius (and real life) inventor Nikola Tesla. Melding fiction with nonfiction was a nice touch and added to the overall concept of the film.
Many may be able to figure out "the big secret" long before it's revealed (this reviewer was able to deduce it rather easily), but this won't take away from the enjoyment of the film going experience. The great acting, moody sets, and applaudable screenplay will keep most viewers enthralled regardless.
Movie Review: Prestige- A treat for Jackman and Bale fans
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading lot of reviews on Amazon.com, I finally got to see this movie. I haven't seen much of Christian Bale. But I would definitely say 10/10 for Hugh Jackman. This guy has got a class
The movie begins with two friends (Bale & Jackman) who are kind of disciples to Michael Caine. Michael Caine is a magician where he performs usual tricks and then there is one trick where the Jackman's wife bounded by ropes is thrown into tank full of water and within few seconds she comes out. On one such night, Bale ties a wrong knot on Jackman's wifes hand and she drowns in the tank not able to open the knot.
Here begins the rivalry between the two guys. Each is trying to outsmart the other. Like one of the reviewer said it would be too much to describe as it has lot of twist and turns from here.
And I don't want to give away the surprises in the movie as they are fun to watch. Finally one such trick is the transported man (going through one door and coming out of other which is half a feet away in hardly one second) which Bale performs with finesse. But if Bale's character has talent, Jackman's character has showmanship. He does the same with much more style. How ever one day Bale spoils Jackmans act.
Now Jackman decides to outsmart Bale and that is where the movie goes on dark side.
Just watch it from here. Its thrilling
Of the cast.
As I said this is first Bale's movie that I have seen and he definitely stands out leaving no room for criticism
Michael Caine is too good. I believe even if he is given a cameo role he would stand out.
Scarlett Johansson is wasted
Hugh Jackman again!!!! He is has done this role with precision and perfection. His class, showmanship and his aura in general are too good. Treat for Jackman fans. Actually it's not only about Jackman. It's the synchronization between him and Bale that's wonderful. See this movie for these two guys and Michael Caine.
I wonder why Hugh Jackman or Christian Bale were not nominated this year for academy.
This is not the first time Hugh Jackman has given a fine performance. His Kate and Leopold and Someone Like You are among the nicest movies I have seen. Then of course there is the X-men series and Van Helsing
Movie Review: Breathtaking
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie this summer, because my brother was going through a magician phase and watched every movie he could find that included magicians. It didn't really appeal to me (not then, anyway). But as I watched, it caught me up in its web, and as I sat there entangled, I couldn't hold back my amazement.
This is a masterpiece of a movie, in writing, in casting, in acting, in suspense, in directing, and in setting. The story is of two rival magicians: Alfred Borden and Robert Angier, originally partners but now bitter enemies after a tragedy that ripped one's life apart. Now they are out to sabotage each other's careers in whatever way they can, desperate to become the best magician in England. Angier is the showman, while Borden has the ingenious ideas, and when Angier sees Borden perform an underproduced but mind-bogglingly brilliant trick -- "The best I've ever seen" -- he becomes obsessed with learning and copying the trick.
Angier travels to America to visit Tesla, a great inventor and rival of Edison, to see if Tesla can help him duplicate Borden's trick. He does duplicate it, but differently, and this is where the film begins to get more complicated.
The meaning of a good trick, as Michael Caine's character tells us, is not about learning how it's done. "You don't want to know the secret," he says. "You want to be fooled." And The Prestige fools us, all right.
Illusions, tricks, and twists swirl around the final act of the film, where nothing is as it seems, and deaths abound -- but are they real? Or are they just another illusion?
In fact, what in these two magicians' lives *isn't* illusion?
Are there any secrets in either Borden's or Angier's lives that don't have double secrets underneath? Secrets are part of the magicians' trade, and these two deal heavily in them -- and fatally.
In that sense, I suppose this story could be considered a tragedy. It is an amazing film, a masterpiece in storytelling, and performs a final devastating illusion at the end that will leave the audience reeling from the impact, ready to watch it again.
Rating: Masterpiece
Movie Review: Best Anglophone film of the decade?
Summary: 5 Stars
There's not much that I can type about the finest accomplishment of Christoper Nolan's filmmaking career that hasn't been stated before. It wouldn't be unfair for the Nolans to abandon their non-linear plot structure at this point; they exploited the concept so thoroughly here in conjunction with numerous of interrelated visual metaphors in order to fully explore a variety of Victorian themes: the thrill of technology-driven entrepreneurship during the onset of modernity, science as magic explained and the nature of dualistic identity, among others.
This DVD's menu design - typeface, colors, animation, etc. - assumes a distinctly Victorian style. The main menu features a spinning picture that frames one of four sets of images based on the most prominent magic tricks in the film; the displayed picture can be selected from a set of icons beneath the menu options.
I saw "The Prestige" once in the theater, though I would have gladly attended another screening or two, had I the opportunity to do so. The theatrical soundtrack irked me for the same reasons that this disc's 5.1 Dolby Digital track does: certain sound effects and swells in passages of the score are deafeningly loud, while some of the narrative dialogue is nearly inaudible. It's quite difficult to tweak EQ in order to facilitate this mix. The French and Spanish dubbed dialogue tracks are quite good, as are the English, French and Spanish subtitles. As I expected, the picture is impeccable; anything less would have been an offensive treatment of Wally Pfister's beautiful photography.
The disc's picture gallery contains images of photos shot on set during and between takes, many of which focus on the production's lavish costumes and sets. Other selections include publicity shots and the painted advertisement posters seen in the movie.
Nolan opted not to record a commentary track for "The Prestige," concerned that such a feature might diminish the mystique of the proceedings. Instead, a nineteen-minute documentary featurette is included here, consisting of interviews with the principal cast and crew in addition to quite a lot of behind-the-scenes footage.