Word: magical
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According to director Christopher Nolan's new movie, a great magic trick consists of three parts: "The Pledge," in which the illusionist produces a common object (or ordinary person) and promises to do something wondrous with it; "The Turn," in which he subjects this object to an astounding transformation; and, finally "The Prestige," in which perhaps a life, but certainly the illusionist's always tenuous hold on his audience, is held in thrilling and suspenseful balance. This narrative structure analogizes rather neatly to the customary three-act movie plot and it is both clever and apt of Nolan...
Oddly, however, magic soon seems to takes an secondary role to science, when Angier’s signature act employs a science-fictional machine that defies even contemporary laws of physics...
While multiple characters refer to this scientific innovation as “real magic,” Nolan seems to be sending a message about the potential danger of unbridled technological progress. In scenes depicting old-fashioned stage magic, the sets, costumes and close-ups are beautifully lit and full of rich colors and textures. Scenes involving Angier’s science-driven act, however, are dark and shadowy, permeated by a supernatural haze...
Whether or not the film is more about magic or technology is just one of its many vagaries. The narrative’s general haziness is, in part, dictated by its screenplay (adapted from Christopher Priest’s 1995 novel, by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan) but Nolan’s customary technique of cutting back and forth in time—made famous by its success in “Memento”—contributes to the muddling of his messages here. This style creates captivating suspense and intrigue at times in both films...
Bottom Line: Unfortunately for the Nolan brothers, the excessive twists and turns of their “Prestige” leave the audience more confused than awed. Not quite movie magic...