The Prestige
Rating 5 of 5
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Hugh Jackman [Robert Angier], Christian Bale [Alfred Borden], Michael Caine [Cutter], Piper Perabo [Julia McCullough], Rebecca Hall [Sarah], Scarlett Johansson [Olivia Wenscombe], Samantha Mahurin [Jess], David Bowie [Nikola Tesla], Andy Serkis [Alley]
Viewed on the big screen
This is one prestigious film! Beautifully crafted and masterfully put together. It seems Christopher Nolan, as a director, just keeps getting better and better. I swear!
From start to finish my attention was fixed. Like an actual magic show, my eyes were glued to the "stage". Watching. Waiting. Anticipating what next trick Nolan the Great would pull out of his hat — or more appropriately, his sleeve/s.
There is no other way to say it except this: The Prestige is excellent! It beat out a lot of movies released earlier this year in terms of storytelling, directing and creating suspense and mystery. It has a really interesting premise [based on the book by Christopher Priest] that was strengthened by good screenwriting, an incredible cast, splendid directing, impactful visuals and a lot of twists and turns that would shame a pretzel.
Strong performances by Hugh Jackman [no Wolverine here], Christian Bale [no Batman here either], Michael Caine [just a bit of Alfred slipping out here and there], and Scarlett Johannson add to the intensity of the film’s story, that of a rivalry between two up-and-coming magicians that went way out of hand as their competition grew violently fierce. Jackman and Bale make their characters really convincing — including the "other" characters they had to give life to. These are two of the finest actors of their [my?] generation!
I loved the whole diary switching aspect of the plot — that was really smart! I enjoyed the way Angier [Jackaman] and Borden [Bale] would outsmart and sabotage each other’s shows. I loved the whole think-on-your-toes storytelling of Nolan, as he leaves clues earlier in the film that foreshadows plot points later on. Again, for the nth time, it’s these kinds of movies that really tickle my fancy — the ones that get the wheels in my head turning.
Storywise, it depicts the effects of extreme competition, extreme obsession and extreme hatred on a person’s life [Methinks we should all learn something here. ;o)]. Families and relationships were ruined as a result. Careers torn down. Lives lost. And nobody was left a winner. Nobody!
Effects-wise, the film successfully incorporated visual effects into every frame to make some scenes really "magical". Although there was nothing new or groundbreaking, the wise use of CGI here made the film more spectacular.
I was surprised to see Andy Serkis here and Piper Perabo, too. Actually, I didn’t know who was in the film other than Jackman, Bale, Caine and Johannson. I was also surprised to see the guy who played Dr. Stromm [in Spider-Man] appear here as the front desk clerk of the Colorado Springs hotel.
I also didn’t read up on the film that much before coming to the cinema [or read Jucy's review], which I think would be a wise thing to do from now on, as it helped give me an "untainted" reception [and perception] of The Prestige. Had I done what I used to do — read previews and synopses, view production photos — it would have taken a lot of the mystery from the movie.
There’s so much more I want to rave about this film but I’ll let you savor it for yourselves [yes, it is that good!]. Just know that I wouldn’t give just any movie a five-star rating for nothing.
Rating: 5 of 5
Rating: 5 of 5
