The Prestige

I've just said something blasphemous. Followed by a word that some would view as cursing. or cussing. or whatever. then my next statement was---

"Christopher Nolan is a god".

Enough said.



That was my initial reaction after watching The Prestige. In the movie, A prestige is the third and final act of a magic trick, the one when you shake your head in disbelief, and applaud accordingly. That was how I felt, I wanted to clap my hands inside the movie theater. It's been so long since i've watched a movie this good. Yeah, I've watched The Departed last week and it's a great movie also, but in my opinion--- it doesn't compare to this. I don't care if that movie had more great reviews.

Come to think of it, that was the same feeling I felt after watching Batman Begins more than a year ago. I've become a fan of Mr. Nolan even before I've seen this movie. The trailer alone got me excited when I first saw it last July. It occured to me that I may be a bit biased--- but a lot of people also thought the movie was great. Plus with my high expectations, I would've been really disappointed if it didn't deliver. And I was far from being disappointed. The acting was superb. I don't know what those negative reviews were about. I don't know what they were looking for. Maybe they just didn't understand the movie. Maybe the non linear flow of the story confused them. They complained about wasting such good lead actors. I thought they were superb. What further depth in characterization did they want? yeah, i guess some scenes need further exploration and development, but then they'd have to increase the screen time, which would sacrifice the effect of such cinematic "sleight of hand". I thought the pacing was perfect, to keep the audiences guessing. Some of those twists and turns may be familiar, but those were clever nevertheless. The supporting cast were great also. Other critics were rapping about how they wasted Scarlett Johansson's talent also. I say they shouldn't expct much, she's in a supporting role after all. And with the role given to her, i would say she also delivered. Even while I'm typing this, I want to watch the movie again!

Christopher Nolan never fails to deliver. Insomnia. then Batman Begins. And now The Prestige. Now if only I could find that elusive copy of Memento, his directorial debut that I still haven't watched, I would be one very happy fanboy. :)

The Dark Knight will surely be phenomenal.