|
Tuesday, 26 September 2006 15:12 |
 Meg Hale
From the first time I saw him in "Primal Fear," I knew he would be a force to be reckoned with in the film world. Therefore, whenever he comes out with a new movie, I try to check it out.
So, the bar was set kind of high for his newest film, "The Illusionist." Having made that clear, I was pretty let down by the movie.
The film is an adaptation by writer/director Neil Burger of the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winner, Steven Millhauser, "Eisenheim the Illusionist," is a film based on the life of Eduard Abramowitz.
 Abramowitz
lived in Vienna during the turn of the century and could supposedly
make boxes appear before him using only the power of his mind. His
stage name was "Eisenheim the Illusionist." He was said to have sold
his soul to the devil in exchange for dark powers. Some claim that he
was a wizard, rather than an illusionist.
In the movie,
Eisenheim (Norton) is a gifted magician who risks his rapidly growing
fame to pursue a romance with a childhood friend who is considered
above his social superior. As an added bonus, the woman Eisenheim
desires, Sophie, played by Jessica Biel from "Seventh Heaven," is also
engaged to the heir to the Viennese throne, Crown Prince Leopold,
played by Rufus Sewell ("Dark City").
Recent
Oscar-nominee Paul Giamatti from "Cinderella Man" also graces the
screen in this flick, playing Chief Police Inspector Uhl. As is usually
true in Giamattiës career, he gives the best performance in the film as
a secondary role.
As for Biel, as
is usually true of her film roles, the movie would have been a lot
better had Eisenheim made her character disappear the first time he
sees her and not reappear until the end credits.
Norton does a
decent job, but does not have nearly enough screen-time to make a
lasting impression. His performances as a magician are not exciting,
because most of his tricks involve camera tricks and computer
animation, which is just not impressive. In preparation for the role,
Norton was trained extensively by magician David Blaine.
In the way of
magic tricks, I was just expecting a few more cages descending into
water, or boxes wrapped in chains. Instead, there were was
handkerchiefs carried around by little blue butterflies. The whole
movie was just a lot less cool and a lot more romance than the preview
seemed to suggest. This film was actually pretty darn slow at parts.
Fear not,
magician movie fans. In the coming attractions, there was a preview for
a film that looked a little more promising. It is called "The
Prestige," and is about two dueling magicians played by Christian Bale
("Batman Begins") and Hugh Jackman ("X-Men") and is directed by
Christopher Nolan ("Memento"). It will come out next month.
So, "The
Illusionist" wasnët exactly my thing, but other people might like it.
If youëre more into a romance than an adventure, "The Illusionist" is
right up your alley. It is actually a decent date movie, if neither you
nor your significant other are prone to dozing off.
Other than that,
the movie is predictable, overblown and slow, though it has a few
well-acted moments. I donët recommend this one all that highly, but if
you end up in a cinema and have nothing to do some afternoon, it wasnët
altogether un-worthwhile. It contains some adult situations, but
nothing most 12-year-olds couldnët handle. I give "The Illusionist"
three of my six planets.
|
