Not very Entertaining

Rating: 3/10 (14 August 2014)

Having put off the Illusionist for some time, I am only now viewing it. Having seen the high ratings for the film, my expectations were high. While watching the film, I was at times very bored and was not near to caring for many of the characters. I can see why people enjoy the film, it seems well directed and acted, and the cinematography is wonderful. Overall it did not provide much entertainment and excitement.
The plot and pace are what killed the movie for me. In the first half it's fine, and necessary to really develop your characters and get the audience to invest in them. But by the time the murder occurs, the pacing hasn't changed at all. We know Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti), though ordered to shut Norton down, is a good guy that wants to do the right thing; we know that Eisenheim (Ed Norton) is talented and ballsy; we know that they are in love; but at the point the film should kick things up a notch. Instead, the audience is treated to a full forty-five minutes of an excruciatingly slow re-hashing of these character and plot points.
The chemistry between Norton and Biel isn't present enough to build up a relationship worth investing in. Individually the performances are all fine, but the passion that connects them just isn't there. It's the kind of thing that can make or break a film like The Illusionist, and in this case the film comes off so disconnected and flat that I just wasn't hypnotized by the film's plot. I saw the film's magic, but alas I did not feel it. However the film does have some good performances (kudos to Norton for playing mysterious very well) and the sets and costumes. The film also manages to put together a pretty decent surprise ending, but looking back on it now it's seems so obvious, I actually feel rather stupid for actually falling for it.