I like movies about magic but was hesitant to watch The Illusionist because I thought that it would pale in comparison to The Prestige, which I liked a lot. However, due to a lack of selection, I ended up watching it.

Magic films are inherently fun because there is the expectation that there is going to be a con – much in the same vein as Ocean’s 11 series. However, the setup is a bit different and more subtle because sleight of hand (sometimes at the macro level) is needed. In The Illusionist, the goal of the con is pretty obvious but for some reason I didn’t realize the con was happening while I watched it (it was obvious afterwards). I guess that’s the sign of an engaging story.

In fact the story is pretty straightforward, a love story between people of two castes, but Edward Norton’s character has a lot of mystery to it (after spending 15 years in the Orient). That helped me enjoy the movie a lot more, and while it is not near the quality of The Prestige, it’s a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

Posted by Kevin in Blogs Tags: magic, moviereview