“Everything you have seen here has been an illusion.” – Eisenheim
Number of Times Seen – 2 (19 Dec 2006 and 8 Jul 2018)
Brief Synopsis – An illusionist tries to find a way to regain the love of his life who is now the fiancee of the heir to the Austrian throne.
My Take on it – This is a film that has a very interesting premise yet moves at a snails pace whoch hurts its chances of being engaging enough.
Edward Norton’s character performs some great illusions and the slight of hand tricks work really well yet the film itself constantly lacks something more that would make it feel more unique of special.
The love story aspect of this film feels too forced in order to try and make it seem more conventional but the fact that Norton and his co-star Jessica Biel’s characters lack any kind of realistic chemistry makes that aspect of the story much weaker because it doesn’t feel realistic at all.
The premise keeps trying to outdo itself along the way and by trying to keep raising the stakes, it loses so much and ultimately this just doesn’t come across as satisfying enough.
Some of the illusions performed in the film are interesting to watch but unfortunately, overall, this film lacks any more than an average feeling which makes it quite unforgettable for the viewer.
Bottom Line – Interesting idea that moves along way too slowly for its own good, The illusions performed by Norton’s character are a sight to see yet the performances lack anything special or unique. They try too hard to make this seem like a conventional love story yet Norton and Biel’s characters have little to no chemistry together that would make things feel even more believable. The premise itself tries to keep outdoing itself and that takes away from this film feeling satisfying enough. Unfortunately, this film is too forgettable.
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – So that the crew would not have to use CGI to “fake” the magical illusions seen, Norton received intensive training in sleight of hand and other stage magic techniques from British magician James Freedman and American magician Ricky Jay. (From IMDB)
Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)
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