Review: The Prestige

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2014)

The movie talks about the rivalry between two magicians, who start out as associates,in late 19th century London. Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) rivalry sparks after Angier accuses Alfred with murder of his wife during one of their performances. Consequently they both had their own separate shows. Angier received more audience to his shows due to the fact that he had a better showmanship, although not the best of tricks. Angier went to one of Borden's shows undercover to find out the nature of his tricks and to possibly learn new ones. But Borden stunned Angier at one of his meager shows with a simple yet meticulous trick . Angier became obsessed and vowed to do whatever he can to outperform or outwit his competitor, which ultimately leads to tragic conclusions.
The Prestige is blistering with a star studded cast such as Christian Bale (The Dark Night), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Michael Cane (The Dark Night), Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers), and famous musician David Bowie. Joining the actors is the proved director Christopher Nolan (Memento). The acting is superb with little or no flaws. Each actor played their role to perfection in depicting the time period they are in. The visuals were top notch. The scenes were shot in a spectacular way and no scene seemed extra or out of place. It really makes you believe its in the 19th century.
The plot to some people might be a little too complex or mind bending, but to me I couldn't have enjoyed it any more. The movie was engaging and made you feel like you really want to know whats going to happen next. Although you might seem a little lost at some points of the movie it will all make a sense at the end. And what an ending it was. The twist at the end hits you hard. I never expected it although I was waiting for it, since I've heard about the twist.
All in all, the movie was a blast to watch. Its not clichéd at all and It kept you guessing right until the end. It's all thanks to the great delivery by the actors and the atmospheric and moody visuals. It's as good as any magic show can get.