The Prestige

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

What is real and what is magic?, 2009-01-09
A feud between between two magicians and the aid of the magician's assistants seem to light up to a Tesla spark. br /If you like historical drama with an element of horror and drama, br /you might like this film. br /It has a sci fi twist involving Tesla's wireless power transmission scheme br /that was passed on at the beginning of the last century. br /I enjoyed the movie, but think that it made too much of magic trick secrets.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Best Anglophone film of the decade?, 2008-12-31
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. br / br /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. br / br /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. br / br /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. br / br /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.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A Movie Worth Watching Closely, 2008-12-16
100 years ago, there were two fledgling magicians. Both Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are the plants in an audience who help a magician with his final act. But one night things turn deadly, leaving Robert a widower and breaking apart the two men. br / br /Over the years, they keep tabs on each other and try to hurt each other. That's how Robert knows when Alfred premiers his most phenomenal trick, the transported man. In this trick, Alfred moves from one box to another across the stage in one second flat. Robert becomes obsessed with learning how his rival does the trick, an obsession he takes to unhealthy levels. Who is the ultimate magician? Will Robert learn the secret of the transported man? What lengths will he go to attempting to get the secret? br / br /Frankly, that summary does the movie an injustice. It is more a character study of the two men than anything else. The story unfolds through a series of flashbacks, yet once I got the characters established in my mind, it was very easy to follow. br / br /This isn't my normal light film. In fact, it is very dark at times. But the story is so engrossing. I was lost in the world unsure who to root for to win. In fact, I gave up trying to predict the outcome, and it's a good thing I did because I never would have guessed how it ended. br / br /The acting from every single member of the cast is great. I can't single anyone out, that's how good it is. br / br /And this is definitely a movie to own. There are so many scenes that appear to mean one thing but really mean something else that you need to watch it again. br / br /I am sorry I am just now watching this excellent film. If you've missed it, go out and see it today. I can't recommend this film highly enough.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent film based off a superior book, 2008-12-07
First off, to all who enjoyed Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige", do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Christopher Priest's novel by the same name. That book served as the basis for this film. br / br /This is truly one of my favorite films. Bale is terrific as always as Alfred Borden, and Jackman delivers what I consider to be his finest performance as the obsessive, vindictive Robert Angier. Michael Caine's supporting role as Angier's ingenieur of allusions is a charming and vital, as the opening and closing narration are provided by his character. The lovely Scarlett Johansson also delivers one of the finest performances of her young career. br / br /I won't summarize the plot of the film, as that's already been done thoroughly by past reviewers, but I will comment on the differences between the book and the film. br / br /As you might imagine, the film is much different. The book begins with a journalist venturing to the home of a descendent of Angier for an interview. The majority of the book and most of the content of the film comes from the personal diary of Angier and retellings by Angier's descendent. In the book, the rivalry between Borden and Angier begins not with the accidental death of Angier's wife, but with Borden sabotaging a seance of Angier's at a private residence. The book goes into great and fascinating detail about the pasts of the two main characters, which was, in my opinion, a major omission from the film. br / br /I want to go into greater detail about the differences, but I'm afraid I'd spoil a great read for whomever takes my advice and reads the book. Overall, the film is terrific. If you were fascinated by the film, I highly recommend that you delve into the book, which provides much greater insight into the characters.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

The Prestige: Prestegious, 2008-11-21
If you truly want to be entertained, and you appreciate magic (as in: professional stage magic and magicians) you will adore this film. br / br /All the actors are at their best, here. And, the film holds a bit of a surprise at the end, although cynical folks will say they saw it coming. br / br /It's easy to say, after one has viewed the film, that it was all so obvious...but, it wasn't all so obvious on the first viewing. br / br /Repeated viewings do yield some interesting gems, even when one knows what happens at the end. br / br /