The Prestige

Celebrated my unofficial end of exams by watching The Prestige,a new film by Christopher Nolan about two magicians caught in a battle of rivalry that eventually consumes more than it should have,starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.Let's state the facts first-this is a really long film (slightly more than 2 hours),and that as far as film with twists go,this one beats every other film in the category as the unpredictable twists and turns are not brought in simply to save a declining storyline but the director/writers have crafted this magnificent film in a way that the twists become part of the plot and while they help carry the storyline forward,they do not become the focal point of the story-for movies that are heavily dependant on twists for substance,think M. Night Shyamalan flicks.

Despite getting a low rating of 73% from RT,i strongly encourage people to watch this film.If you're intending to watch some other film this weekend,skip that and watch this instead.For one,the movie builds its suspense cleverly,at the perfect pace and no unnecessary subplots to ruin our concentration,towards the end we get answers that satisfy our curiosity-the script does get annoyingly Shakespearean at times but i guess it had to be written that way to coincide with the time setting of the film,and the film does come close to the verge of being unbelievable hence i understand how some viewers might find some parts overly imaginative and too unrealistic.

The two main characters,performed brilliantly by Jackman and Bale (famous names in the supporting cast like Andy Serkis and David Bowie become way too overshadowed and forgettable),make the rivalry between them the sole purpose of their lives-the desire to win develops into a dangerous obsession for both men,both who seem to have possessed an advantage at one point or another in the story but who will finally triumph and how becomes the ultimate question.This film does not carry any prevalent moral messages nor does it intend to become overly complicated-essentially the film boils down to tell a simple story about two incredibly intelligent men and how they manipulate things for personal benefit,and in the process of trying to win people and relationships are sacrificed,and finally when the winner emerges we realise too much damage has been done for anyone to be concerned about the competition-but not for these two who carry their rivalry right to the end,only stopping when one has been declared winner and the other loser.

Walking out the cinema after a film,i slowly noticed that there were many hints that pointed towards the eventual climax and that a lot of foreshadowing went unnoticed.Highlight the following to see what i mean,only if you've watched the film:the two sibling birds one being killed,the concept of the 'prestige' itself (that a magic trick can only impress if one that disappears returns),Sara's mention of how her husband's feelings seem to vary day to day,Alfred's passingof the ball in jail-reflecting the same being done with 'himself' in the transporting trick.

The Prestige is one of the best films i've seen this year.and is a definite must-watch.

Update: OMFG,someone finally compiles the 50 LOST loose-ends.Black rock?Desmond's future-seeng skills?Jack's dead dad's body?This will keep my LOST addiction satisfied till the show continues again in Feb.