I watched The Prestige last night. It was a very different movie than The Illusionist, but overall I liked it slightly better. I thought The Prestige had some pacing issues and would have benefited had 15 minutes been removed from the middle section. However, I think the story--especially the character development--was much better than in The Illusionist. Neither Jackman's nor Bale's characters were straight-forward. I empathized with Jackman's character, yet Bale was such a likable fellow you couldn't help but feel a connection towards him as well.
The ending: I figured out that Bale's assistant was his twin brother about fifteen minutes before it was revealed at the end of the movie. Despite this, I still really enjoyed the movie--especially the parts that made you think about them once the credits were finished.
Bale's entire life (lives) was one big magic trick. There was almost no separation between his stage life and his personal life. The idea that someone would give up half his life (the half posing as the assistant) for the sake of his art is fascinating. I also really like those little moments that you didn't think too much about when they happened, but after you found out the trick it made you go "a-ha!". (e.g. How Bale's wife would say that some days he loved her and some days he didn't.)
I also loved the lengths that Jackman went to in order to top Bale's trick that--in the end--turned out to be completed with a simple double. He did the impossible (commission the creation of a cloning machine) and the unthinkable (kill himself every night).
Topic: Michael Mann is the worst directror ever (Read 12573 times)
