Was it worth watching once?

I saw The Illusionist at the cinema, I must say, it was definitely worth it! I went without really knowing what it was about (only knew that it was an illusionist in Vienna..), and the film totally surprised me, I really liked it, and it's a movie I would definitely like to watch again!

I've seen the movie on dvd,i think it was a good movie.Its unpredictable i didnt expect the way it ended.But man,your rental fee is so high.The price is almost like going to the theater.Anyway,its worth it so that's okay.

How I reviewed it:

THE ILLUSIONIST was one of a few films released in 2006 that dealt with magicians. THE PRESTIGE, also a period piece, seemed to overshadow and take most of the publicity. However, THE ILLUSIONIST is not a film to just disregard.

In turn-of-the-century Vienna, a magician (played by Edward Norton) uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman (played by Jessica Biel) far above his social standing. Also rounding out the cast are Paul Giamatti, as an Inspector and Rufus Sewell as the Crown Prince.

The movie is about love and illusions in several ways: the theatrical sense, the political sense, and then just the sense in living at all.

The film was very well acted. Paul Giamatti’s performance stays fresh in my mind as having the most notable impact, though Edward Norton fits his role quite well. All of the actors looked sharp, therefore I think the workers involved with wardrobe and design deserve some applause.

The story is a high-stakes romance with plenty of magic and drama involved. As a fan of Shakespeare I enjoy romantic tragedy to be played deep, dark, and to the fullest, so that angle in the plot could have been done a bit richer I think. Really what tones down the emotion you feel towards the characters a bit is the ending, which is a twist that you are happy to have occur, yet steals a wee bit of the drama away surrounding Edward Norton’s earlier performance in the movie.

This film is finding success and good word-of-mouth now that it is out on dvd and I agree that it is deserving of such. Internet research shows that renters tend to grade the film a bit higher than professional critics, so I think it is safe to say THE ILLUSIONIST is worth a rent.

The tagline used to draw in potential viewers to this film is: “Nothing is what it seems.” However, the great acting and interesting story are indeed quite solid and not illusions.

www.literaryillusions.com