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Movies / Upcoming / The Prestige
The Prestige

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The Prestige (2006)

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Reviews Counted:184

Fresh:138

Rotten:46

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is a dazzling period piece that never stops challenging the audience.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $53,002,677

Synopsis: British director Christopher Nolan's (BATMAN BEGINS) eclectic resume gains another interesting entry with THE PRESTIGE. The basic plot, which concerns the rivalry between two magicians in early... British director Christopher Nolan's (BATMAN BEGINS) eclectic resume gains another interesting entry with THE PRESTIGE. The basic plot, which concerns the rivalry between two magicians in early 20th-century London, closely resembles a fellow 2006 movie--Edward Norton's THE ILLUSIONIST--and the two films are sure to be closely compared. In Nolan's film, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale bring the characters of Robert Angier and Alfred Bordon to life. Robert and Alfred were young magician apprentices together, but became bitter rivals as their careers began to shape their adult lives and a terrible accident claimed the life of Robert's wife. In the subsequent years Robert has become wildly jealous of Alfred's superior talents, so in a last ditch attempt to steal some artistic ground he sends his assistant, Olivia (Scarlett Johansson), to infiltrate his rival's lair and steal the secret to a spectacular trick called "The Transported Man." Nolan's film twists and turns down a number of unexpected avenues as it flits back and forth between numerous time periods, creating a movie that needs to be watched as closely as the tricks his leading characters perform. Bale and Jackman perfectly execute their roles, winding up the tension to an unbearable degree as they willfully enter into some dangerously competitive patterns of behavior. Michael Caine makes his second appearance in a Nolan film, almost reprising his role of Alfred in BATMAN BEGINS by playing Cutter, Jackman's mentor; and Johansson pouts and flounces across the elaborate sets like a classic Hollywood screen siren. Stylistically, THE PRESTIGE is full of dark, gloomy colors and a palpable feeling of menace, which is an impeccable visual match for the viewer's growing unease as the protagonists push each other to increasingly ridiculous lengths. It's not an easy film to digest, but Nolan's movie offers intelligent and challenging fare that will likely reveal further cinematic magic on repeated viewings. [More]

Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie

Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis, Daniel Davis, Jim Piddock, Christopher Neame, Roger Rees, Jamie Harris

Director: Christopher Nolan

Director: Christopher Nolan
Producer: Aaron Ryder, Emma Thomas
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

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1 - 4 of 11

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Reviews for The Prestige

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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It's a very cool piece of filmmaking -- as it has to be, given the intellectual sleight-of-hand that lies at its heart. Yet it succeeds as both great entertainment and an absorbing rumination on the dangers of playing God.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
11/25/06
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: In Film Australia | comment Comment
11/17/06
Luke Buckmaster
Luke Buckmaster
In Film Australia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

We invest in the furious battle because there is more at stake than a magic trick: each man has to sacrifice things near and dear to him

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/10/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Many films are under-written or not well thought out enough, Prestige is the opposite - it's almost too clever for its own good and consequently thinks it can outsmart the audience at every turn.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/19/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Until an inexplicably awful revelation at the end, The Prestige is a taut, exciting portrait of obsession and the dark competitive spirit of professional magicians.

Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
09/19/09
Gabe Leibowitz
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt

Risible inanity

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Justine Elias
Justine Elias
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com

The film is never less than engaging, though considering that the title The Prestige refers to the moment in a magic act that gives it its "wow" factor, it's kind of a shame that the ultimate "reveal" in the movie is a little too tricky for its own good.

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

"The Prestige" is a cinematic trick, nothing more, and the deadpan seriousness is part of the effect, and not an end in itself.

Full Review Source: Beyond Hollywood | comment Comment
04/17/08
Brian Holcomb
Brian Holcomb
Beyond Hollywood

In a movie about people who make their livings on misdirection, The Prestige utterly forgets to employ its own.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment 5 Comments
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

It's quite a movie -- atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
09/07/07
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nolan balances Hollywood and indie sensibilities pulling off a film that is smart, complicated and carries a big look.

Full Review Source: Calgary Movies | comment Comment
08/13/07
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Calgary Movies

As is his want, Mr. Nolan jumps between time periods and voice-overs with reckless abandon. The movie's real trick is that it all somehow manages to congeal.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

An example of old-fashioned storytelling, the kind of magical movie that could have been made fifty years ago and, consequently, will still be watched fifty years from now.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

An interesting if not entirely satisfactory theatrical interpretation of magical rivalries.

Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
03/03/07
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Cinemania

...one of those pictures where the journey is more important than the destination.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
02/20/07
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

The who’s-bilking-whom mind games make for compelling fun, but once the presto moment of The Prestige is revealed, you’re left with nothing but shattered illusions.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/03/07
Joshua Rothkopf
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York

The Prestige is a ridiculously, almost uncomfortably engaging film.

Full Review Source: Reeler | comment Comment
02/01/07
Michelle Orange
Michelle Orange
Reeler

Mientras unos encontrarán enigma y adicción %u2014como si se tratase de una historia del genio Hitchcock%u2014 otros, aquellos que buscan el piso falso en el tablado del escenario, porque simplemente no creen en la verdadera magia, saldrán desilusionados

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
01/27/07
Luis Martinez
Luis Martinez
Cinenganos
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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