The Illusionist is a love story set in the 1900’s. This movie has some nice special effects, and some very pretty cinematography. The acting is decent, but the plot is fairly simple and predictable. Overall, I found it to be a nice, enjoyable film. If you enjoy love story then you should like this movie.

Plot: Eisenheim, Edward Norton, is the son of a cabinetmaker--a peasant boy who runs into a magician one day. Through that contact, he becomes interested in magic and illusions and practices it every chance he gets. He also meets a girl, Sophie (Jessica Biel), a duchess-to-be. They become friends even though their friendship is forbidden. They fall in love and make a pact to run away together when they are teenagers. On the night they are to escape, Sophie is caught and dragged back home. Eisenheim leaves alone. He travels the world learning all types of magical secrets until he is a master illusionist. He goes to Vienna to perform a show of his illusions. One night the Prince Regent comes to the show with his entourage including his girlfriend. When Eisenheim asks for a volunteer from the audience the prince offers his girlfriend up as a volunteer. When she reaches the stage, Eisenheim realizes it is his long lost Sophie. He speaks with her the next day and they both realize that they still have feelings for each other. The only problem is how to get her away from the Prince Regent who is a possessive, powerful and even violent man. Especially when the Chief Inspector, Paul Giamatti, is watching their every move and reporting back to the Prince. Can they free her from her fiancée' and live happily ever after? You will have to watch the movie to find out.

The plot is kind of simple and predictable. I could always tell where it was going. There really weren't any surprises or twists. The dialogue was good--nothing stilted or too goofy.

What I did love about this film was its cinematography. It has some beautiful shots; I also loved some of the filters they used. It has fuzzy/fading edges, which with the colors used in the film, made it look like old film. I thought this was a particularly nice touch. It helped put us in the age that they movie was supposed to take place in. I also thought that some of his tricks had some pretty nice special effects to them as well. They look magical without looking overly fake or out of place. I also enjoyed the period clothing as well, especially some of Sophie’s outfits. They were quite lovely.

The acting was good. Edward Norton does a very nice job as the magician Eisenheim. He conveys the stage presence of the magician well. He also portrays a man that has the type of intelligence to devise and carry out all the magical tricks that he uses. The magician is also an emotional man portraying joy at finding Sophie again and pain and possibly losing her again. Edward Norton has a nice expressionable face that serves this character well. Paul Giamatti is Chief Inspector Uhl. Uhl is a man intrigued by Eisenheim's so called magic. He seems to be a good man and a good inspector. He wants to serve his prince so that he can rise above being a butcher's son, but he is unwilling to condemn a man who has done nothing wrong. He is a man who wrestles with his conscience, and you can see the battle on his face. Rufus Sewell is the Crown Prince Leopold (prince regent). He is a vivid character who is very intelligence but also very violent and controlling. He will keep Sophie at all costs. Sophie, Jessica Biel, is a very defiant woman for her day and time. Defying her family once to be friends with Eisenheim as a child. Will she defy them again to leave the Prince and run away with Eisenheim? She is not featured in much of the film so we don't get to know her very well. Again, I would say that overall the acting was good, and at least some of the characters seem real.

Even though the story was predictable, it still was a good film. It is perhaps something to rent rather than spending that $8.00-$10.00 for a ticket to see it on the big screen. If you like a good love story, then this movie will not disappoint.


Recommended: Yes

Movie Mood: Girl Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Plot