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The Prestige : What is magic really?

WRITTEN BY SHINJON SANA


Symposia : 8.7/10

IMDb : 8.5/10

Metacritic : 66%

Rotten tomatoes : 76%


“Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige"." This above quote sums up the movie in a whole. Any movie directed by Christopher Nolan is sure to twist your mind into little pieces of spaghetti, and when you introduce a theme of magic, what ensues is nothing short of that.


The cast itself is extremely star-studded, with people like Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, David Bowie, Scarlett Johansen and Andy Serkis. This extremely versatile cast is masterful in turning this movie from a script written down on sheets into an impeccable visual which truly captivates viewers. The story has a wide plethora of emotions woven into it. All of it stems from the bitter hatred between two, once, close friends. The actions each one does to outdo and sabotage the other shows us the bitter truth about humans; we will not stop until we have revenge. The two main characters are Robert Angier and Alfred Borden who become bitter rivals over a tragic accident that occurred while they worked together.


I could simply go on and on about how engrossing the movie is, it truly keeps you rooted to your seat until you finish it. The magic tricks are real, believable but still completely blow your mind. The visuals are fantastic and breath-taking, the fact that the setting is not in this modern age makes the whole movie have a more classic tinge to it. In this old city, in an age when magicians were truly believed to be capable of harnessing the power of “Magic”.


The movie is perfect in portraying the differences between the men. Angier is a skilled showman, whose stage presence is electrifying and captivating to watch; however, he lacks the actual skills that Borden possesses. Borden, on the other hand, is an absolute prodigy in terms of actual skill but lacks very much in his showmanship. The two men use these weaknesses continuously in an attempt to ruin the others' success until it becomes sickening for the numerous sides. This bitter rivalry shocks many a person and very quickly sickens others.


Let's talk about Christopher Nolan. How is it that every single movie he makes is a masterpiece? The characters in this movie are profound and have very powerful projections on the viewers. Additionally, they have a lot of semblance to reality even while being in an obscure field like Magic. To conclude, ‘The Prestige’ is a thriller which you will absolutely not regret watching. 

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