Movie Review: The Prestige

Two magicians wage war to come up with the best magical act in the late 1800s. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman do a great job playing their respective characters, each of whom become obsessed with their magic, and with destroying each other. Jackman’s Robert Angier watches in horror as his wife (Coyote Ugly’s Piper Perabo) dies in a horrible magical mishap, at the hands of Alfred (Bale), and then obsesses over Alfred’s new trick, which sees him teleport across a room. Jackman eventually finds a way, in a strange implausible, and morbid way. This one had a lot of twists and turns, and some interest plot points, that I unfortunately figured out quite early in the movie. So as I watched it unwind, I was a little more critical, since things weren’t revealed or concluded in a way I really liked. Still, the plot was creative, and overall this was a very entertaining movie. Certainly better than most of the stuff I’ve seen this year. Great cast too – Bale, Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, plus appearances by Roger Rees (Cheers), and Andy Serkis (Gollum from LOTR). Watch it if you get a chance (8/10).