The real mystery is the praise this film received

Rating: 3/10 (4 August 2008)

Christopher Priest's novel novel on which the film was based is to my mind by far the least interesting of his that I have read. It's reliance on impossible, rather than speculative, science making it ever so slightly ridiculous to this confirmed rationalist. The best feature of the book by far was the complicated narrative methods it used. Needless to say this is totally lost in Nolan's tricksy film. The narrative here is disjointed, not for any obvious effect, but seemingly because this is now Nolan's style, a style he will use regardless of how appropriate it is to the film. What we end up with though is an uninteresting tale badly told, devoid of humour or life. Christian Bale is as mannered as ever, after several films in which he got to use his unconvincing American accent he now sounds equally unconvincing as a cockney. Hugh Jackman is slightly more watchable but Scarlett Johannson is wasted and Bowie as embarrassing as ever. Watching this back to back with the less feted "The Illusionist" is instructive, that film was as predictable and old fashioned as could be, it was at least entertaining and Edward Norton runs rings round Bale.