Well put together -- but not your happy place!

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2006)

Utterly gripping turn of the century English theater tale. Excellent period feel, costumes, sets, engaging interplay between all the characters, pacing, cinematography, all first rate. The audience is mesmerized by the magic acts, the romantic entanglements, but at the same time, is left utterly cold by the complete lack of warmth and humanity. This is not a movie for someone looking for a uplifting, positive two hours. This movie is devoid of any warmth. There are no heroes, no good guys, no role models.
Scientist/inventor Nikola Tesla, whose work all movie goers have seen, even though they may not know it, figures prominently in this movie. Among other things, he invented the Tesla Coil, which is frequently featured in science fiction movies. The coil generates impressive electric displays, like controlled lightning, arcing between electrodes. The main plot of this movie revolves around the use of this electric "magic". The movie is not, however, a scientific documentary, and the leaps of logic from Tesla's scientific experimentation, to magic tricks shown in the movie, requires accepting highly implausible events requiring much suspended disbelief, but that fact doesn't detract too much from the movie's allure. The magic is well enough performed to be engaging and plausible. You want to believe it. It works.
The movie doesn't entirely satisfy however. The main thing that does diminish the movie's appeal is the unlikable nature of all the principle characters. You just can't "like" them, any of them.
The movie well worth seeing however. Just don't go when you're in a bad mood already. This movie will only make it worse.