Darn...I really wanted to like this movie.

Rating: 4/10 (22 February 2007)

I have not read the book and so I suppose I should so I can give the story a fair shake. But the whole "Tesla and His Miraculous Achievements" aspect of the story, which is absolutely crucial to the plot, just turned me off like one of Tesla's bulbs.
With all due respect to a great man, Tesla was largely a showman...just like Edison and many other inventors and scientists of his day. Self promotion was the rule and, given the opportunity, they would gladly explain (or imply) that they could power vehicles at great distances, create earthquakes, and perform similar miracles. The idea that Tesla either discovered some natural force or designed an elaborate machine (remember, while there were some primitive vacuum tubes in development prior to 1900, it was only after the turn of the century that they became practical for use in electronic circuits) to accomplish "The Prestige" is so bizarre that it basically doesn't even rise to the level of deus ex machina.
So, as we say here in NC, the movie was "fairly well ruin't" for me at that point.
I was also disappointed in the basic absence of any period magic or sleight of hand. There were a few examples here and there, just the minimum to try to establish credibility, but it was pretty tame and not at all of any interest.
As far as the production and acting, that's the only reason it got as high a score from me as it did. Jackman was a so-so, Bale did OK (unfortunately, you really need to watch through to the end to appreciate his acting), and Bowie was a surprising, but good, choice as Tesla.
Definitely not a DVD to purchase and I'm not sure that I would even rent it if I had known a bit more about it.