A neat trick.

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2006)

"The Illusionist" is a beautiful movie, artfully designed to seduce lovers of period pieces and high fantasy (such as myself). It's not particularly deep - nor is it necessarily all that brilliant. But, like any good conjurer's trick, this film is so delightful and entertaining that I think you're a spoilsport if you criticize it for being too insubstantial.
The high points are the production design (which is gorgeous) and the acting. Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti speak in weirdly soft tones for much of the film, but they manage to convey a wide ranges of emotions anyway, and both of them play very compelling characters. I had no problem with Jessica Biel, either, perhaps because I never saw her "teen" movies and I'm not saddled with the preconception that she's a lightweight. Let me put it this way; she's certainly beautiful enough that I understand Norton's obsession with her!
Now, about that script. It's actually a bit simple, a bit fanciful. The plot twists are not too hard to predict, if you really want to predict them. But so what? I enjoyed the movie even though I suspected what the ending would probably be. And, unlike many commentators on this site, I didn't feel "superior" to the film simply because I figured out the mystery. Sometimes it's fun to watch even a predictable plot unfold.
I'm actually glad that Norton made a film like this, because I usually associate him with darker, more downbeat fare. "The Illusionist" is a very pleasant movie by his standards - like a dreamy sort of fairy tale. I enjoyed seeing him in something that's so much fun.
If you insist on over-thinking this film, I'm sure you'll figure out - and start to resent - all of its tricks. You'll see the wires, so to speak. As for me...I never look for the wires. I just let myself be carried along for the ride.