Pay Close Attention

Rating: 6/10 (7 February 2008)

In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor with tragic consequences.
After seeing "The Illusionist," which I thought was amazing a magic movie can get, I held my expectations really high for "The Prestige." I'm comparing these two films because they were released close to each other, with a similar genre as magic films. Which is the better movie, you ask? "The Illusionist" blows "The Prestige" away.
I'm starting to wonder why this film has such a high rating. Probably a lot of fans of Christopher Nolan, who is known for making great films, such as "batman Begins" and "Memento." I would say this movie is just mediocre, and not at the level of his usual films.
I will say this film has style. The cinematography was great. What I was disappointed by this film is the on going predictable-ness. I might be in the majority when I said this. I saw the twist coming. What came from the very first scene in the film was a great "pay attention to the movie!" moment but it went downhill from there.
Throughout the film, you'll find yourself laughing at least two times from two very laughable and improbable scenes. Other than that, the film tries to be clever and trying to create something new at the same time. But all fails. It's mediocre at best from the storytelling. The performances were decent, in the end.
Overall, I found it a hard film to love and to watch over and over again (they say watching this film over and over again will make it better). The visual effects were good, the plot may give you some disbelief, and the film is just one step back for Nolan. It's a worthy rent, at least.