Better Than Most Current Movies in Theaters, but Ultimately Disappointing (no spoilers)

Rating: 4/10 (27 November 2006)

The Prestige has a lot of good things going for it. Great acting, a top-notch cast, interesting characters, beautiful scenery and gorgeous costumes. The film takes place in the late-Victorian period just as science is about to advance by leaps and bounds. Understanding, harnessing and manipulating electricity is the new and exciting craze. Add in two rivaling magicians who want to top each other's best act and the stage is set for what I hoped would be a gripping story. Piper Perabo was the most likable character and wish she had more screen time. There's also a sci/fi twist that is quite interesting too. All kinds of good things to make a great film.
But...
There are several ways that The Prestige didn't work for me. It has huge plot holes and continuity problems. Upon further analysis after the film, the logic was just plain sloppy. These issues should have been addressed and rewritten prior to filming. It really ruined the magic of the film.
The pacing is uneven. Most of the time it's very slow (slower than Masterpiece Theater). If I had been watching the film on TV, I wouldn't have made it all the way through, but I was in the theater so it kept my attention span.
The ending though interesting, was very disappointing. The film turned into a second-rate, M. Shymalan script for the last half hour. People in the theater were laughing after the end monologue because it sounded heavy-handed and ridiculous.
Even though the actors did a good job, the range of each character was quite small. There was no depth. Jackman was obsessive, Caine was the all-knowing sage, Bowie was the mysterious scientist, Johansson was the slut, and all the rest. You get the idea. The lack of growth in the character development made the story boring and stale. I just didn't find myself caring for what happened to any of them by the end.
The Prestige is actually a rather dark film. Much sadder and than I expected. It is not a feel good film. I would have been fine with the darkness if the plot didn't have so many holes in it. I usually enjoy a good mystery or thriller, but found the twists to be rather predictable.
A quick warning for animal lovers: there's some animal cruelty. It's not as horrible as The Brothers Grimm, but it's something to be aware of if you are going to take a child to see the film or are sensitive about those things.
If you aren't into analyzing films and don't care about it making sense, you'll probably enjoy the film. I was fine with the sci/fi aspect of The Prestige, it's the plot that has the problems. Some of the twists work and some are just silly and sloppy writing.
I sincerely wanted to enjoy this film, but it wasn't as dazzling as I had hoped it would be. I wanted it to be a 10, but the most I can give it is 7.