"Nothing is what it seems"

Rating: 9/10 (26 February 2007)

This may be a film by Neil Burger, but this is not fast food.
A romantic tale of a magician who falls in love. As simple a story as you can imagine, but it is told with such charm and delicacy that you are swept along in a way that's reminiscent of fables like Amelie and Big Fish.
In a world full of microwave meals this one takes time to come to the boil. One hundred and ten minutes sounds too long for such a slight tale, but this movie takes it's time, gloriously so, there are no quick cuts. It gives you the time to digest each scene.
The Illusionist is one of the most beautiful looking movies I've ever seen. You could take a still from it and put it on the wall of an art gallery. A feast for the eyes.
This movie is certainly not for the X-generation, those with a 30 second attention span. If you like your movies to arrive in five minutes with extra ketchup go and see Die Hard 8. But if you're prepared to wait a little and digest properly this is a movie that will ultimately satisfy. Just don't drink too many Red Bulls before you enter.