The Only Illusion Is the Plot

Rating: 3/10 (3 August 2010)

****READ THIS ONLY IF YOU'VE SEEN THE FILM****
I will admit that I didn't figure out that Jessica Biel's character was alive at the end. I assumed she had really died. But part of it was due to slight of hand by the director. What bothered me after the explanation of what really happened was that I realized something was missing: The Funeral. When they find her body, it's just carted off and that's it. The whole thing then turns into a whodunit or at least they try to pin the murder on The Prince. But that's where it's a bit of a cheat, because she could not have run away without a funeral being held for her. Also, they took a big chance because a trial for the Prince would have resulted in people asking for an autopsy, if one wasn't done, or wondering what happened to the body. There are a lot of other plot devices that don't work, like how Eisenheim is conjuring up the images. He might be using a projector, but then how does that kid come from the street? So we're just left to assume he has some kind of supernatural power. I did enjoy watching this film, as I did with The Prestige. But while I was a little forgiving with The Prestige on it's own faults, I believe that the omission of what happened to the deceased woman's body and how that was overlooked by everyone was a huge plot hole that the director should have addressed.