I was interested in seeing The Prestige when I first heard about it even though I wasn't exactly sure what it was about. I liked the cast and have been impressed with Christopher Nolan's movies in the past. As I found out more about the movie, I was more and more interested in seeing it.

I am not going to discuss much of the plot of The Prestige so I don’t spoil anything for people who haven’t seen the movie yet. I’ll be somewhat vague about a few things later in this review as well for the same reason. The things about the plot I mention will be things that were shared in trailers.

Rupert Angier and Alfred Borden were working for a magician in London in the late 1890's. They got along well enough, though they didn’t agree about certain things. They became rivals after something went wrong, each trying to out do the other with new illusions. Cutter knew both men and ended up working for Rupert. Olivia Wenscombe started working as Rupert’s assistant and was pulled into the middle of the situation between him and Alfred. Alfred developed a new illusion and Rupert became obsessed with discovering exactly how it was done.

The Prestige started off showing one very important event. Then the movie went back in time to show what started the problem between Rupert and Alfred and what led up to the important event. The movie did jump back and forth in time, which could bother some people. I didn’t have any trouble keeping track of what was going on. I wasn’t always sure how much time had passed between some events. People could get confused if they don’t pay close enough attention to what is going on. The plot was complex without being so complicated that I was confused. There were surprises and twists that I thought worked very well. This movie wasn’t anywhere near as confusing as Memento, another movie that Christopher Nolan directed that didn’t handle the plot in a linear fashion.

There was some mystery surrounding a few different things in The Prestige. That aspect of the movie was handled well and helped to keep things interesting. The movie had several suspenseful scenes and I frequently was wondering what would happen next and how things would work out. One time I was convinced that one thing was going to happen and it turned out that I was completely wrong. The movie surprised me several times and kept me guessing. Things were explained by the end of the movie and I thought the explanations made sense. Looking back after the movie was over, I realized that there were small clues here and there. I might even pick up on other things when I see the movie again. I’m already planning to pick up the DVD when it comes out.

Magic and illusions were very important to The Prestige. The two main characters were magicians and several of the other supporting characters were involved in magic. Several different tricks were performed throughout the movie and some of them were explained. I did think it was interesting to see how some of the illusions were performed. Most of the tricks that were performed were somewhat simple but they were still entertaining. I do think some special effects were used in a few scenes for the bigger illusions that Alfred and Rupert both did. What I think were effects were well done. The illusions and how they were performed did seem to fit in with the time period of the movie. I did really enjoy the magic aspects of the movie. This is the second movie to feature magicians released in 2006. I also really enjoyed The Illusionist. That movie was a bit different with not as much mystery and suspense, but it was also very good.

I really was interested in seeing The Prestige even before I knew what it was about because of the cast. I’ve liked Hugh Jackman since I saw him in X-Men as Wolverine and tend to see most of his movies. I thought he was very good in this movie. Rupert was a more complex character than most of the others he’s played. I really enjoyed Christian Bale in Batman Begins as Bruce Wayne/Batman and was interested in seeing him in other parts. Alfred was so different from Bruce and Bale was wonderful in the part. Alfred had an accent and Bale was consistent with that throughout the movie. Bale and Jackman were both very believable in their parts and they played well off of each other.

None of the other characters were as important or developed as Alfred and Rupert. Cutter had also worked for the same magician that Alfred and Rupert had. Cutter designed illusions and the things that were needed to successfully perform them. He ended up working for Rupert once he started performing on his own. Michael Caine was good in the part even though he didn’t have as much to do. Olivia was a young woman that worked as Rupert’s assistant. She ended up caught between him and Alfred. Scarlett Johansson was fine in the part. Piper Perabo turned up briefly in a few scenes early in the movie. David Bowie was in a few scenes as Nikola Tesla, a man that Rupert believed could help him with an illusion. Andy Serkis, probably best known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, played Alley, Tesla’s assistant. All of the acting was very good.

Main Cast

Christian Bale - Alfred Borden
David Bowie - Nikola Tesla
Michael Caine - Cutter
Hugh Jackman - Rupert Angier
Scarlett Johansson - Olivia
Piper Perabo - Julia McCullough
Andy Serkis - Alley

Christopher Nolan - Director

I really enjoyed The Prestige and think it was one of the best made movies I’ve seen this year. The movie kept me guessing, though other people might pick up on some of the clues and figure out certain things. Fans of Hugh Jackman or Christian Bale should definitely check this movie out.

Hugh Jackman Movie Reviews
Kate and Leopold ~ Van Helsing ~ X-Men ~ X2: X-Men United ~ X-Men: The Last Stand ~

Recommended: Yes