Very Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (22 February 2007)

Hugely disappointing effort here. I was expecting better from Nolan, after the great "Batman Begins", but this was a real letdown. The story is disjointed and confusing in that it keeps jumping back and forth in time so much that you lose the time line, and it all gets muddled. You're not sure what is taking place when. The dialogue is lacking and the direction is not nearly as inspired as I'd hoped. Christian Bale is more effective playing Americans than Brits somehow, and his Cockney accent is not very convincing. Jackman is underwhelming. The major secret of the film is so absurd and deflating that I felt cheated as the credits popped up. If you want to see a "Turn of the Century Magic Movie", rent "The Illusionist" a much more elegant film, and although it relies more on the supernatural and the suspension of disbelief, it is far less ridiculous and contrived than this dung heap.