Post by Quorthon on May 29, 2008 9:24:42 GMT -5
The Prestige
Drama/Adventure/Thriller
2006
Color
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
USA
Imagine if someone made a movie about David Copperfield and, say, Lance Burton or some other modern “magician/illusionist” essentially played each other back and forth in an attempt to one-up the other guy. I’m not sure if that sounds interesting or not. Well, to be perfectly honest, that’s what this film is—but two magicians from the 19th Century, rather than now. And for fun, it involves famous eccentric scientist Nikola Tesla.
The Prestige follows Hugh Jackman (playing an American) and Christian Bale (as a Brit) as they play two of the most daring and creative magicians in England. They start out as planted “members of the audience” helping out another magician until he is ruined in an event that turns Bale and Jackman against each other. Michael Caine plays a masterful “maker of illusions” working for Jackman. Jackman has the stage presence and gift for entertaining, but Bale has the darkly creative touch that even Michael Caine cannot fully compete against. David Bowie, of all people, portrays the enigmatic Nikola Tesla. The bulk of the movie is Jackman and Bale playing off one another via flashbacks while Bale reads a Jackman’s diary after being jailed for having killed him. The plot unfolds until we find out just exactly what events took place leading up to this point. Scarlett Johanssen plays both an illicit lover, and an assistant showgirl--and is just as gorgeous as ever.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--The story is excellent and the film twists and turns and winds around in all manner of cleverness. Guessing what’s next is nearly impossible and the film is constantly surprising.
--The acting is, essentially, superb all around. The actors all fill their roles well and portray their characters seriously, emotionally, and honestly.
--Clean, seamless special effects.
--The way the two magicians one-up one another is often brutal and shocking, but it holds attention and adds a stark view of the depths to which these two will go to out-perform each other. Neither is above revenge.
--David Bowie has really turned into an excellent actor. He fills Tesla’s shoes in a convincing manner and his look and take on the role works beautifully. Honestly, it made me wonder (along with my general knowledge of Tesla already) why there has really been no major film based on the man and his eccentricities.
--Brilliant direction and atmosphere, and some excellent set pieces.
--I like when a film does well to plant countless subtle nuances throughout that make so much more sense in hindsight, and this has that in spades.
--Excellent cinematography and music. Like a real magic/illusion show, we are shown only what we need to reach a conclusion, and we are only given subtle hints of what’s to come before the big reveal.
--Nice reference to the Tesla vs. Edison, AC current vs. DC current, battle that took place during that period. I’m not sure if it was ever quite this bad, though. While purely fictional, the mixing of these historic bits was a welcome bit.
--Solid character development for Bale and Jackman, with realistic and emotional at times, dialog.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--For some, the fact that there is no clear protagonist or antagonist may be annoying. You are never really sure who to root for. Bale? Jackman? They both play the good guy and they both play the bad guy. They both play multiple roles, and they do them flawlessly.
-- The mysteries of the story are laid out perfectly. This will be a thorn in the side for some as things may seem to fit together all too well, and while I loved the ending, there will no doubt be a cross-section of people upset by it.
--Some slow parts as the film builds up.
--The music was somewhat average overall.
--Tesla not quite eccentric enough. In real life, this guy was nuts. He once devised a massive electric Death Ray to sell to the US military. Not kidding.
--The violence and gore is pretty minimal. You get a crushed bird here and a bloody injury there, but that’s about it.
The Bad:--The link between Bale and Tesla (David Bowie) is never quite clear.
The Ugly:--Never try to catch a bullet in your mouth.
Memorable Scene:
--There are many. Seeing what Tesla’s machine really does and, to be honest, every time we see an act of revenge about to take place.
Quality:
Acting: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10
Dialog: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Direction: 9/10
Quantity:
Nudity: 0/10
Sexuality: 1/10
Violence: 4/10
Gore: 1/10
Cheesiness: 0/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 9/10
I have to say, this was a fun and vibrant film. The twists and turns and back-and-forth nature really keep it going. Highly recommended all around.
Drama/Adventure/Thriller
2006
Color
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
USA
Imagine if someone made a movie about David Copperfield and, say, Lance Burton or some other modern “magician/illusionist” essentially played each other back and forth in an attempt to one-up the other guy. I’m not sure if that sounds interesting or not. Well, to be perfectly honest, that’s what this film is—but two magicians from the 19th Century, rather than now. And for fun, it involves famous eccentric scientist Nikola Tesla.
The Prestige follows Hugh Jackman (playing an American) and Christian Bale (as a Brit) as they play two of the most daring and creative magicians in England. They start out as planted “members of the audience” helping out another magician until he is ruined in an event that turns Bale and Jackman against each other. Michael Caine plays a masterful “maker of illusions” working for Jackman. Jackman has the stage presence and gift for entertaining, but Bale has the darkly creative touch that even Michael Caine cannot fully compete against. David Bowie, of all people, portrays the enigmatic Nikola Tesla. The bulk of the movie is Jackman and Bale playing off one another via flashbacks while Bale reads a Jackman’s diary after being jailed for having killed him. The plot unfolds until we find out just exactly what events took place leading up to this point. Scarlett Johanssen plays both an illicit lover, and an assistant showgirl--and is just as gorgeous as ever.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--The story is excellent and the film twists and turns and winds around in all manner of cleverness. Guessing what’s next is nearly impossible and the film is constantly surprising.
--The acting is, essentially, superb all around. The actors all fill their roles well and portray their characters seriously, emotionally, and honestly.
--Clean, seamless special effects.
--The way the two magicians one-up one another is often brutal and shocking, but it holds attention and adds a stark view of the depths to which these two will go to out-perform each other. Neither is above revenge.
--David Bowie has really turned into an excellent actor. He fills Tesla’s shoes in a convincing manner and his look and take on the role works beautifully. Honestly, it made me wonder (along with my general knowledge of Tesla already) why there has really been no major film based on the man and his eccentricities.
--Brilliant direction and atmosphere, and some excellent set pieces.
--I like when a film does well to plant countless subtle nuances throughout that make so much more sense in hindsight, and this has that in spades.
--Excellent cinematography and music. Like a real magic/illusion show, we are shown only what we need to reach a conclusion, and we are only given subtle hints of what’s to come before the big reveal.
--Nice reference to the Tesla vs. Edison, AC current vs. DC current, battle that took place during that period. I’m not sure if it was ever quite this bad, though. While purely fictional, the mixing of these historic bits was a welcome bit.
--Solid character development for Bale and Jackman, with realistic and emotional at times, dialog.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--For some, the fact that there is no clear protagonist or antagonist may be annoying. You are never really sure who to root for. Bale? Jackman? They both play the good guy and they both play the bad guy. They both play multiple roles, and they do them flawlessly.
-- The mysteries of the story are laid out perfectly. This will be a thorn in the side for some as things may seem to fit together all too well, and while I loved the ending, there will no doubt be a cross-section of people upset by it.
--Some slow parts as the film builds up.
--The music was somewhat average overall.
--Tesla not quite eccentric enough. In real life, this guy was nuts. He once devised a massive electric Death Ray to sell to the US military. Not kidding.
--The violence and gore is pretty minimal. You get a crushed bird here and a bloody injury there, but that’s about it.
The Bad:--The link between Bale and Tesla (David Bowie) is never quite clear.
The Ugly:--Never try to catch a bullet in your mouth.
Memorable Scene:
--There are many. Seeing what Tesla’s machine really does and, to be honest, every time we see an act of revenge about to take place.
Quality:
Acting: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10
Dialog: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Direction: 9/10
Quantity:
Nudity: 0/10
Sexuality: 1/10
Violence: 4/10
Gore: 1/10
Cheesiness: 0/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 9/10
I have to say, this was a fun and vibrant film. The twists and turns and back-and-forth nature really keep it going. Highly recommended all around.
