The Prestige

GREAT PLOT | STAR-STUDDED CAST 1st watch | TOP 100 | Nolan ranked “Because making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back”The prestige is a great telling of friends turned rivals, doing anything to be the better magician. THE PLOT/STORY:In my opinion the plot was perfect. Strong in its complexity, but when you figure it out, it’s simple.Just like magic, explained by this film. That plot twist was shocking at first, but when thought about, easy to guess. I would assume on rewatch this would be so much more detailed. Thinking back to the plot, you can look at the details in the grand scheme of things. The choice of genre was perfect for this movie, I found it suspenseful and somewhat deceptive. Tricking the viewer into believing it was more complex than Nolan’s other work like inception. The similarities between the plot and the subject (magic) draw great comparisons that help the overall story. Obsession is something that is sometimes hard to execute in a film but done perfectly In this. by not using the theme of insanity, it differs to other movies and provides a unique tone to the story. CINEMATOGRAPHY/DIRECTION:Nolan proves yet again that he is a GREAT director and can direct intricate scripts. His choice of setting was perfect especially in a rise of “magic” or illusions in the Victorian era. It uses themes often associated with that time period. Every scene either increases the stakes or increases the tension in the story. The shots were great capturing the story flawlessly, or the part he wants you to see. Where the script isn’t perfect Nolan’s direction makes up for that. It serves as a prequel to the opening scenes of the movie which also makes it harder to guess the plot twist. THE WRITING:As mentioned in the previous category, it did fall short in a few areas, but other than a couple instances, it was great. The use of technical language is riveting and amazing in every case. It creates a dark theme that shows how entertainment isn’t always pleasant. It shows the risks of being a magician and if you want to be a good one you have to make “self sacrifices.”THE ACTING:it’s crazy how good this cast is. It proves Nolan has the ability to have the best of the best in his movies. The two leads, Christian bale and Hugh Jackman were great as rivals and both interesting . Hugh Jackman particularly stuck out which is usual for a character like his when this movie is just as thematically rich. Michael Caine is just as under-appreciated as Andy serkis. Caine serving as a narrator is incredibly purposeful considering his characters acting. THE CHARACTERS:On that note, the characters were also really positive. Robert angier was Intricately crafted in his writing. His stages of obsession provide this movie with a compelling character containing a transposing narrative. Borden (Christian bale)Was also a compelling character therefore having an ever-changing narrative due to the fact there are two people living his life. The way the stakes increased when he had a child was even more threatening in terms of revenge. Every character hqd a sacrificial arc in which they had a fantastic ending. THE ENDING:I don’t want to reveal the twist so I won’t go into the details but it was satisfying to say the least.As mentioned in the prior paragraph every character had a fitting end. The story concludes perfectly for a dark fantasy movie. With a major death at the end the better magician was revealed as was the true identities of the main characters. It proves to have a great magic trick you have to make sacrifices. NOLAN RANKED- top 3 ⭐️9.8/10