The Illusionist Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

I'm under no illusion...this is great !

This is a beautifully filmed really good film, that is made great by its actors. Edward Norton is just superb as Eisenheim the illusionist, but Paul Giamatti as the inspector, Jessica Biel as Sophie and Rufus Sewell as Crown Prince leopold are similarly excellent. The whole thing just comes together really well and makes for a really interesting film.

Although it is just a story, it does have a whiff of reality in the portrayal of Crown Prince of Austria, who was a real odd bod, who, to all intents and purposes ended the Habsburg monarchy on his controvertial death with his mistress in 1889. It is still not known if it was really suicide or if they were murdered.

This film is well worth a watch.

An entertaining movie

I was not sure what to expect from The Illusionist, but the film kept me hooked from beginning to end. The surprises, the twists and the great performances by Norton and Giamatti make this another movie to add to the collection. I highly recommend it.

[Highly rated reviewer]

a true magician never reveals

how good this movie actually is. a very pleasant change from all main stars involved. very worthy of 5 stars!

magical twist

i would recommend this film to everyone who has loved and lost and also likes illusions and magic it has romance blackmail and very good ending u must see this as i do beleive it will be inspiring and most of all make u want to see it again and again.

Rubbish

This was such a waste of time. The script was dull, the plot crashingly predictable and there really was no reason for the normally brilliant Ed Norton being in the film, because almost all of his character's development happened during the 'Young Ed Norton falls in love and learns magic' flashback at the beginning. All he needed to do was pitch up, say a few lines, then scurry off with a fat wad of cash in his back pocket before the producer realised he could actually have hired an amateur dramatist for a fraction of the cost.

It's all cobbled together in such a clumsy way. Even the 'magic', the main subject matter of the film, was pretty limp, due to some decidedly clunky CGI.

The ONLY good thing about this film was Paul Giamatti, who is incapable of delivering a line or facial expression badly. He was the only reason that I saw this film through to the end, and the only reason I have given it 2 stars.

THE 'DULL'USIONIST

What a load of rubbish! The first time I watched this movie, I fell asleep after 30 minutes. The second time, I managed to painfully watch it all the way through. This movie is NOT worth renting.

However if you want a movie about sourcery and magicians, 'The Prestige' is a much better movie with a very good story line. 'The Illusionist' seemed to be more of a very poor love movie with little action or magic.

'The Prestige' is 10 times better than this dull love story.

[Highly rated reviewer]

A beautiful film

This is a beautiful romantic film, a bit slow at places but if you have ever lost someone you loved you will like it. At first i thought it was going to be one of those frustrating predictable films but it has a few suprises and twists at the end which make it worth watching. I highly recommend it.

Edward Norton is brilliant once again

Edward Norton is a fantastic actor and in this film he agains shows his ability. Although apparently quite simple and essentially romantic, the plot is fast moving and manages to avoid the predictable love story. There are several twists and the well chosen cast pull off a film which is quite surreal but makes you think. Overall a brilliant film with excellent cast, it is suitable for most ages and could be enjoyed as a family film.

Better than PRESTIGE

Isnt it funny how we are all different. After reading the reviews for both films i decided to put The Prestige at the top of my list ( leaving the illusionist at the bottom ).This is ( to me anyway ) the better of the 2 films. I found i wasnt falling asleep in the middle and was totally engrossed from the start , what an illusionist!

The story was great, the magic and tricks were superb. I actually found i could hear the film ( my kids were gobsmacked and didnt keep turning to ask me to explain! ) I loved the way it showed how it was done and the way the story was pieced together! FAB

PUT THIS AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST i am sure you wont be disapointed!

Brilliant

This film astonished me! It was a bit slow in places but is just brilliant and will make everyone smile. Just hold on in there if you think its getting slow, it really is worth it!