Abracadabra and Hocus Pocus.

Rating: Null/10 (15 March 2007)

The Illusionist (2006) ***
The Illusionist is a finely crafted and gorgeously photographed film and well acted, if not so well written. Its a twisting and turning fable of magic, murder and deceit. The magic scenes are interesting, and in my opinion the best thing about the film.
It's very light fare, with nothing particularly great about it, but if you're willing to accept it as more of a fable then its quite enjoyable.
It suffers from some not so great dialogue, and a few incredibly cheesy lines. In the end, The Illusionist is best when it stays away from the love scenes which are poorly done, and sticks to its magic and mystery, which are a nice touch. Many say that they don't care for Phillip Glass's score, but I kind of enjoyed it and it brought something a bit different to what is really a pretty classical narrative.
I never really guessed the final outcome, and its quite morally questionable, but for its faults The Illusionist is a pretty, and enjoyable way to spend a couple hours.
3/4