The Illusionist

The illusionist is not as good as The Prestige. While Nolan throws the viewer into an indescribable atmosphere, visual precision, and script sophistication, The Illusionist relies on the captivating backdrop of Prague and the Czech countryside. The result is naturally not the same, and it is clear who comes out on top. Edward Norton doesn't play a great role, and Jessica Biel is more of an ornament. Some parts movie bored me outright (surprisingly, including the ending) and the deficiencies in terms of unfinished sets and not always fully optimal production design are all too evident. What sets The Illusionist completely apart from The Prestige is the concept of the story. The former has its greatest weapons in originality and being “different”, while the latter film, in a relatively solid yet still quite unexplored realm of magic, only shows classic and well-worn values without anything extra, which is by far not enough. So, if I were to rate the first film only based on its relative drowsiness and tediousness, I cannot do otherwise than give it a below-average rating. (12/26/2008)

A beautifully shot and exceptionally well-scored mysterious film, filmed in the South Bohemian region, which chose a fictional speculative story from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire as its subject. Thanks to the camera work, special effects, and the mentioned music, it's a very consumable film, and perhaps only the casting of Jessica Biel in the lead female role didn't quite sit well with me. It's a standard Hollywood affair with several enjoyable plot twists. Overall impression: 80%. A film about love and, above all, magic. (11/21/2008)

If it weren't for (and this is my eternal problem) the unsympathetic Norton, it would have been better. This magical thing boasts a nice period atmosphere, music and ubiquitous illusions that make it almost a fairy-tale spectacle. But the film is slow, rather long and often boring. The filmmakers must have realized this, so in the last third they got things going again. Due to this the end is... Better. But it won't save The Illusionist. (07/10/2010)

Surprisingly more entertaining than The Prestige for me. Edward Norton steals the whole film for himself, he is intelligent, charismatic, insightful and a very talented illusionist. The period in which the film takes place suited me very well, the romance is apt and not annoying and the overall flow of the plot is very brisk and not boring, so for me I'm satisfied, I don't even know why I put the film off for so long. Very good. 80%. (12/10/2014)

The Illusionist is very unlucky, since it directly clashed in time with another film about magic, Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, against which it doesn't stand a chance, even without closer examination. While the second film is characterized by its darkness and nerve-wracking complex twists, Neil Burger makes do with only a slightly mysterious atmosphere and simply drawn characters – good-evil-righteous-beautiful. Nevertheless, I liked this straightforward fairytale, even though it has serious flaws of logic in its explanations, but thanks to the suitable magical mood and clearly defined genre rules, it is more than pleasant in its simplicity. (02/02/2007)