The Prestige
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Movie Reviews of The Prestige
Movie Review: Prestige Makes Magic
Summary: 5 Stars
A brilliant story, a stellar cast and a director with more than one ace up his sleeve. Prestige impressed me more than many of the other more popular and critically hailed films of 2006. The story immediately drew me in and I was constantly surprised at its twist and turns.
Michael Caine is called on to mentor Hugh Jackman's, Angier, a role he is taking on with more and more frequency these days, i.e., most recently to Clive Owen's character in "Children of Men". Not surprisingly, Mr. Caine lends an air of style and authenticity to the aging Magician with his true cockney accent and manner.
Hugh Jackman does a fine job as the obsessed magician, proving that he is growing his acting chops and developing beyond the action genre of "X-Men" and fluff like "Kate & Leopold".
David Bowie in a little-larger than cameo role is a delicious surprise. A great showman in a film about great showman...one has to love the irony.
Lastly, the brilliant Christian Bale continues to show he is very close to the top of that list of go-to actors. Bale just churns out one complex and intelligent performance ("The Machinist"), while managing to stuff the box office with favorites like "Batman Returns". I am convinced that Bale can do it al; he's that very special combination of natural talent, beguiling good looks and intelligent studied performance. What is more amazing is he has been doing this since he was a child (giving a stellar performance in "Empire of the Sun"). His performance in The Prestige was more than Oscar-worthy, and I am sure that the golden statue will one day grace his mantle.
This is one DVD you will want to own, because you will want to see it again and again.
Movie Review: Not just a movie about two magicians ...
Summary: 5 Stars
Of course the plot outline involves two rivalry magicians who compete against each other... but I would say this movie is much more than that.
Christopher Nolan is simply astonishing us with his direction and especially the screenplay. This movie also has the play with the time element in the screenplay just like his previous movies like Following and Memento, but in a different way (using two diaries!!!).
I have watched this movie immediately after watching it for the first time just to catch up with the nuances and subtleties of the characters and screenplay, I was not disappointed. The movie starts with the dialog "Are you watching closely?" and you should remember this dialog and watch it very closely to get a good grip on the story line.
As far as the acting is concerned my vote goes to Christian Bale for his performance as Alfred Borden. You just won't notice the differences in his acting when he interacts with Sarah (his wife) and Scarlett Johansson (his girlfriend) until and otherwise you see this movie for the second time. For him the acting flows just as natural as blood. Multifaceted acting just like his Batman Begins.
Of course another wonderful performances by Michael Caine as Mr. Cutter and Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier.
Truly a masterpiece. Kudos to Christopher Nolan. Storytelling at its best. Don't even think about missing this movie.
Movie Review: Great film
Summary: 5 Stars
This was, hands down, one of the best films I have ever seen. That being said, it required two viewings in order for me to realize that.
The Prestige is so intricately crafted that first time round I missed a lot of the plot--especially towards the beginning. (As I did with Nolan's other remarkable film, Memento.) I was completely caught up in the mood of the film, a subtle mixture of repressed emotion and obsession, and in the acting, which was just marvellous. (Although Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale played their parts masterfully, it was Michael Caine who stole the show.)
What I liked best about this film was its refusal to fall into cliche--the classic "good guy vs. bad guy." While you can sympathize with them, neither of the main characters is particularly likeable. Their motives are, in fact, reprehensible. Yet I never felt as though I didn't believe in them. Obsession, as Michael Caine points out, is a young man's game. And these two young men played out their obsessions to the climax, which while inevitable, is twisted enough to take viewers by surprise. (I confess, I didn't see it coming.)
Days after seeing the film I am still thinking about it. One could probably write a book about the symbolism--the caged birds, the multiple hats (Jackman and Bale "wore" several), the intricate interweaving between the magic of science, and the trickery of magic. The film successfully conveyed the complex metaphors of Christopher Priest's book without losing any of its entertainment value.
The Prestige is tight, well acted, beautifully filmed, carefully thought out, intelligent, and captivating. What more could one ask? An Academy Award, perhaps.
Movie Review: One hell of a magic trick
Summary: 5 Stars
Christopher Nolan returns with The Prestige, a movie about revenge and the obsessive minds of two rival magicians. And what a magical experience this was.
Based on Christopher Priest's novel, The Prestige examines the destructive nature of revenge, framed within the illusory and competitive world of magic. Using the deceptive concept of trickery, the genre goes almost to science fiction as it blurs the edges between reality and fantasy.
Rupert Angier and Alfred Borden are, as Borden says, "Two young men devoted to an illusion." Originally in good terms, the two become enemies when Angier blames Borden for the death of his wife Julia, who drowns when a trick they are performing goes horribly wrong. Following the tragedy, Borden's personal life and career flourish. Meanwhile, Angier's life takes the opposite trajectory. And filled with pain and anger he embarks on a vengeful path that has deadly consequences. Their rivalry grows more vicious and desperate, with their magic skills used not only to wow audiences but wreak havoc on one another.
But, as you'd expect in a film involving magicians, things are rarely as they appear.
This movie has everything: excitement, thrills, twist and turns, romance, surprises. When The Prestige begins, nothing makes any sense. The story goes backwards and forwards through time. But before too much goes on, things start getting clearer. Bit by bit, everything comes into focus. But to get there, you'll have to earn it. You'll have to hate it before you like it. During it's running time The Prestige will make you irritated, confused, exasperated, frustrated but before it's over... you'll fall in love with it.
Movie Review: Magical Mind Games Onscreen and In the Audience!
Summary: 5 Stars
THE PRESTIGE is one of the best films of 2006! I loved the many, many plot twists and surprises! I recommend that you view this with a friend and see if you both come to the same conclusions over what ended up happening throughout the film! I saw it at the theater, a few times, with different folks, and I got different theories and explanations each time! It is very fun to compare mental notes, afterwards, and to rewatch it to verify your latest theories!
It is by the director and the main actor of BATMAN BEGINS, and then you can toss in the actor who portrays Wolverine in the X-MEN films, and also the actor who plays Gollum in the LORD OF THE RINGS, and Scarlett Johansson, and even an old school B-movie star, David Bowie.
It has a lot of the director's taste for jumping back and forth between flashbacks and present tense, but it is easy to follow, chronologically-speaking.
What gets hard to follow and figure out is what the two magicians are actually doing to mess with each other's mind, and the human toll that is being racked up as collateral damage.
This is a film about two characters who may not be that likeable in real life, portrayed by two actors who are very charismatic and likeable onscreen, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. If you liked those two in their BATMAN and X-MEN films, then you will probably like them here, though there is less action than in the superhero films, there is a lot more intellectual clue hunting to do for the audience, which makes THE PRESTIGE very entertaining, and you will get your money's worth in buying the DVD because repeat viewings will likely be required to figure out the "trick" of the plot.