The Prestige was a
movie that I thought was great when I saw it, but then it continued to stick
with me even after I watched more classic movies. It’s a great example of why
stories depend on the characters and their goals; the entire film follows two
magicians and their obsession towards the other. They sacrifice everything so
that they could prove to be the best, and the distance they go is farther than
any average character. The other interesting part is that there is no true
antagonist, both characters have triumphant moments as they succeed, and sympathetic
moments when they fail. I personally connected to Hugh Jackman’s character,
Robert Angier, even after he succumbs to what leads to his downfall. Only at
the end does Christian Bale’s character, Alfred Borden, show his true
sacrifice, and that made me wonder why the perspective of the film was in favor
of Robert Angier. The reason might be to raise that very question, and prove my
favorite line near the end:
“But if you
could fool them, even for a second, you could make them wonder. Then you got to
see something very special… it was the look on their faces.”
Film is for entertainment, The Prestige excels at what most movies
fail, to have a Prestige, and that is why this movie is so memorable.
Story Rating: 9/10
Character Rating: 9/10
