The Illusionist

DVD review by Nick at Nite

The Illusionist

A very satisfying film. Edward Norton is very good, Jessica Biel is beautiful (as in very attractive), and Paul Giamatti proves again that he may well be the best actor of our generation. The real genius is that this movie tells a story that has been told hundred times, but does so in such an interesting way that you don't feel cheated or bored by seeing the same story again. First, the movie is set in Vienna at the turn of the century. Basically, an uptown girl is not allowed to be with a downtown boy. The girl's family disapproves. They are forcibly separated. The boy disappears for many years and eventually returns in search of his lost love. Of course, the girl is now attached to the evil prince whom the boy must now defeat (not because the girl loves the evil prince, but because the evil prince is mean and nasty). The hook is that the boy meets an illusionist and, fascinated by the magic, learns the illusionist's craft and uses it to get close to the girl and wow the crowds in Vienna when he returns for his lost love. I won't give away any more of the plot, but I will say the "how did he that part" is the best part of the movie. The real genius is that with all of the computer graphics and imaging that are used in movies these days, I will still left guessing how the illusionist did the things he did. I give it an "A."