A mess of a movie, in my opinion.

Rating: 3/10 (14 December 2007)

What comes to mind immediately in reviewing The Prestige, is a comparison to a similar, but far superior movie, The Illusionist. The Illusionist had it all: a great story with a complex but credible plot, great characters (especially Edward Norton as the Illusionist), and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. The scenes of magic were extraordinary and creepy, transporting the viewer back to the world of a master conjuror's stage in the year 1900. By contrast, The Prestige had a silly, trivial plot that just kept repeating the schtick of two magicians who were rivals for no purpose, unimpressive "tricks" on the stage, and the preposterous Tesla device that duplicated everything like a surreal photocopy machine. The movie also took huge liberties, jumping around in time: one minute D'Anton was in London, and the next in Colorado, multiple times. Played fast and loose with parallel universes and time travel, I guess.
I kept thinking, do I really care enough to watch the end of this movie? And why is Scarlett Johansen always typecast as a temptress/floozy? She looked like the early 20th century version of the character she played in Match Point, another loser of a movie.