Read the novel instead

Rating: 2/10 (12 August 2007)

I finished reading the darkly elegant novel "The Prestige" by Christopher Priest about a week before renting the DVD. Perhaps I was setting myself up for disappointment, but the movie is an absolute dog; it pales in comparison to the novel. I have to wonder what Christoper Priest thinks of this film.
Call me a purist, but I would love to see the novel made into a movie that respects the story's original plot structure. Too much that is worthwhile in the novel, such as the addition of Borden's and Angier's descendants to frame the story, has been deleted. Too much that is ridiculous has been added to the film. The story has been butchered beyond belief. I realize that Nolan is known for playing with the chronology of events, but his piecemeal approach destroys any possibility of real dramatic tension building towards any sort of climax.
One of the strengths of the novel was that the story was told largely in the form of diaries the two magicians had written. This offered us some back story to give context to the conflict between Angier and Borden, and also allowed us to get inside their heads. The characterizations in the movie, are for the most part, extremely one-dimensional and superficial - completely without subtlety. The acting is mostly a snore, with flat performances from most of the actors, an exception being Rebecca Hall, who showed some emotional depth and engaged the viewer. At least the special effects were snazzy. But far more electricity was generated by Tesla's machine than existed between any of the characters, which is really too bad. I just got bored with it all.
If you haven't seen this picture, don't waste your time. Just read the book.