A classical style thriller, but it misses the mark

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2007)

I don't like horror films, but these days, most thrillers tend to be packaged as horror films, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the commercials for the Prestige when it first came out. I didn't get to see it then. Too much going on, and more important movies to see when I did go to the theatre.
I have to say, after waiting so long, I'm glad I didn't. I'm very underwhelmed by it.
Hugh Jackman was a bit stiff in this, and that makes me worry, because I know he can pull off good acting. The rest of the performances were generally lovely, though.
The flow was a bit confusing at first, but not overly so, and as time went on, everything was set in its proper time frame. But I do think people who like linear films would have difficulty with the first hour or so of the film.
The sequences with Tesla felt like they should have been in a different story. Something more action-oriented. They didn't fit with the flow of the rest, really, and were only there for the big shocker, and to give Bowie his cameo. I would much rather have seen a growing thread of mishaps and attacks from each of them as Angier worked out the secret.
The ending left me cold, and to be honest, rather ill. I think the writer sold himself short. Or thought they were writing an episode of Twilight Zone.
Borden's secret was obvious less than halfway through the movie or so, and while it did seem as though at times they might have been working towards another explanation, in the end, it turned out to be just what it seemed.
All in all, a vaguely interesting story if you're into stage magicians, or are fond of the actors involved, but not at all what it could have been, given the right attention.