The Prestige. The third and most important act of any trick. It is very tough to make a comparison between this film and The Illusionist. Mimi said it best when she posted on my blog a few weeks ago.

They are both very different films. The Illusionist is a stronger love story, and The Prestige was almost an ode to science.

I have to agree with her. These are two very different films. While The Illusionist focused more on a love story between a magician and his mistress, The Prestige focused on the science of magic and how it actually worked behind the scenes. There was a subplot involving a love relationship, but it’s primary purpose was to show just how obsessive a magician can be with his magic, and how detrimental that can be to a love commitment.

The screenplay and sets for the film were excellent. It set the mood perfectly. The actors chosen for the film were also first-rate. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman make this film come to life in their roles as opposing magicians who get caught up in a conflict which ultimately ends in tragedy for them both. With the addition of bombshell Scarlett Johansson as a magician’s assistant, this cast was a dream come true for any director.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. This film was truly magical.

Synopsis:

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy — full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden were competitors. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies-for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London.