Demands to be seen over and over again

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2007)

A lot has been said about the film's beauty, but this is also an amazingly complex film and I think a lot of people didn't really get all that the first time. Some critics were upset about the twist ending while others were concerned with the sci-fi plot. To these people I say "Are you watching closely?"
In retrospect, this film's cleverness comes from its plot that is structured similar to a magic trick. Both Angier and Borden's story, has a pledge, a turn and a prestige. In the film, they both share the same prestige; seemingly reappearing from the dead. The ultimate twist in the film is literally told to the audience several times, but as an audience we naturally doubt the obvious, and wish to be fooled. This is similar to a magic trick, we know the truth behind the magic; that it's not real, but only a great magician can, for a moment, make you doubt that truth. It's the magician's job, to quote the film, "sell it all the way through" and this film does just that. Even though you might have it figured out, the film gives you distractions that have you doubting it just long enough so when the pieces come together you realize what you just saw was something truly special. That's the beauty behind this film.
The science fiction plot fits both visually and thematically. The film shows us that during this time period magicians had to change to keep up with the times, so they adopted more science fiction into their acts. This is why Borden and Angeir seek out Tesla. It brings closure to the other reoccurring theme in the film which is obsession, how far will one go? Their obsession to keep topping one another leads Angier to take it to the next level, but he goes too far, starts toying with real magic and ends up going to hell for it.