The Prestige

Perplexed by the storyline at the beginning, deeply attracted to the narratives of the intense rivalry between two actors in the main body of the show, and finally shocked by the revealed truth, or *The Prestige* in the end. This is one of the most mind-blowing mysteries that I've watched in recent years. One of the best part, I think, is how the characters of two young magicians are depicted -- through small but noticeable details like the facial expressions, one or two words, the novels et cetera. In fact, the title of the movie, even being explained by Cutter in the beginning, still puzzles me and I can't stopped thinking about the meaning of it. Not to mention other puzzles. But ultimately, I came to realize that the plot structure corresponds to a epic magic show as well.

There is great entertainment in seeing the two fellow-rivals battling each other, but it is only after the final twist that the viewer realises the entire film is a magic trick, a prestige, itself. 10/10

<em>'The Prestige'</em> is tremendous! An expertly made movie about magic, one that lasts just over two hours but it is most definitely 120mins+ well spent. I was sold by the whole vibe of it from the very beginning, sometimes you can just tell you're going to absolutely enjoy something from the opening minutes and this, for me, was one of those films. The casting is terrific, many well known faces appear. Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine (how about that speech), Christian Bale and Scarlett Johansson are all brilliant, the latter two do hold minimally iffy accents though; or maybe it was just me. There are a few other strong performers too, like Andy Serkis and David Bowie! No-one onscreen puts a foot wrong. Christopher Nolan is again back to his twisty best with this one. It's admittedly nothing as super deep as, say, <em>'Inception'</em> and I did read where this one was going in certain aspects, though certainly not every angle - either way, it's just as thrilling to watch no matter how much or how little you pick up. Big fan of the way the film depicts its events throughout. Just now seeing how highly this is regarded, on Letterboxd at least. I know I do try to avoid as much as I can with movies, but based on the aforementioned I'm kinda shocked I hadn't heard anything about this growing up or even in recent years. Most of Nolan's other works I at least recall hearing through the grapevine, yet this one evidently somehow slipped through the net. Probably a good thing, mind you.