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The Prestige
Movie Review
November 10, 2006
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Piper
Perabo, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie.
Backstory
Christopher Nolan is one of those directors that everyone tells me about.
And I really do mean to see Memento someday, honest. But I didn't get
exposed to Nolan's work until Batman Begins, which I loved. So, when I
started reading up on Nolan's next film...battling magicians in Victorian
England...I went, "ooo".
Plot
It's Victorian England, and we focus on two aspiring young magicians, Robert
Angeir (Wolver-I mean, Jackman) and Alfred Bordon (Batma-I mean, Bale).
One day, an accident on stage leads to the death of the lovely assistant...who
just happens to be Angeir's wife. Angeir forever blames Bordon, and a
deep-seeded rivalry develops between the two, leading them to periodically
sabotage the other's act. But then, Bordon comes up with an illusion
called "The Transported Man," which drives Angeir to obsession, as Angeir tries
to figure it out. It's an obsession that eventually leads Angeir to
America...and that brilliant physicist/mad scientist Nikola Tesla. Then it
starts getting a little science fictional...and murderous.
What I Liked
Well, I can't say any more, because it's got a great twist ending that I can't
give away. (It was a great twist ending to me, but my friend claims she
figured it out halfway through.) It's very mysterious, full of intrigues,
and Johansson (as Angeir's new lovely assistant) has one heck of a heaving
bosom.
What I Didn't Like
It does follow a Memento-ish non-linear plot, which can get kind of confusing if
you're not paying attention. And did I mention that Angeir and Bordon
sabotage each other's acts in a way that causes horrible mutilations to the
volunteer from the audience? Yeah...it's bloodier than I thought it'd be.
And the sci-fi element that Tesla brings in felt a little out of place.
Final Assessment
It's a taught little thriller that'll make you go, "Whoa." It's a good
time at the movies, as long as you just go with it.
3
Nibs
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