Quality is not an illusion. . .

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2007)

As joyful a movie as any that have been released in recent years, "The Illusionist" -- in my case, at least -- has come hard on the heels of the vacuous "The Lake House" and the execrable "Poseidon".
Both are relevant here: star-crossed lovers in the former, reality-defeating special effects (or not so special, after all) victims in the latter.
And then comes "The Illusionist".
A movie consistent with writer /director Neil Burger's previous exploration of illusion versus reality, it avoids the monumental daftness of "Lake House" and the moronic CGI of "Poseidon" to instead deliver something of charm and sheer, unadulterated entertainment value.
Yes, it could've been as clunky an exploration of what's real and what's not as "Lake House". That it isn't says much for the original short story (penned by Pulitzer prize winner Millhauser)and even more for Burger: the movie is a parlour trick, no more, no less; it engages because its ambitiousness is concealed beneath its simplicities.
And it works -- superbly -- thanks to some stand-out performances (Paul Giametti and Rufus Sewell especially, though then again, they're certainly given much more to do than Edward Norton or Jessica Biel), Dick Pope's almost impossibly lush cinematography. . . and a film score by Philip Glass not only as original as the screenplay itself, but as romantic, and powerful, as anything penned by Rota and Rozsa.
"The Illusionist" isn't the Greatest Movie Ever Made because it never set out to be. What it is, instead, is gentle. Joyful. Entertaining. And hugely accomplished. A few more parlour tricks like this one, and the magic truly will be back in movie-making.