The Prestige wasn't worth the Pricetag

Rating: 3/10 (23 October 2006)

This movie was a disappointment. Both Jackman and Bales looked uncomfortable portraying magicians. Nolan did a nice job of limiting their acts of prestidigitation, but frankly, it wasn't enough. There was no flamboyance; nothing to make the characters stand out as leading illusionists.
Major flaws: There was no explanation as to how the great Danton became so wealthy, wealthy enough to buy his transference machine from Tesla, another boring and disappointing performance.
It was obvious from the start that Bales had a twin brother in disguise, and one could easily guess that they switched off doing roles on stage and performing in the boudoir. The unveiling of this secret was... nothing.
The whole idea of a machine that created a carbon copy of Danton every performance was just plain dumb. Nikola Tesla was not a mystical character, historically, and to portray him as someone who could transcend the laws of physics was insulting to those of us with more than animal intelligence.
I have not yet seen The Illusionist, but I'm sure the performances by Norton and Giamatti will be much better. It can hardly be possible that they could be worse.
Mike