Early The Prestige reviews are coming out, and they don’t look great. As a matter of fact, I’m really disappointed in what I’m reading. The Prestige has been one of the films I’ve most been looking forward to seeing ever since watching the trailer a few months back… but so far no one I’ve talked to who has seen it is raving about it. A bunch of people like it… but didn’t love it. Damn!!
Here is what some of the critics are saying in their “The Prestige” reviews:
>“Pic insists on a depth of human emotion that isn’t developed — protags emerge as one-dimensional, despite the efforts of two of our best leading actors — amid increasingly elaborate, uninvolving plot mechanizations.”
Dennis Harvey – VarietyThe Prestige isn’t art, but it reaps a lot of fun out of the question, How did they do that?
Owen Gleiberman – Entertainment WeeklyA dazzlingly complicated narrative; indeed, it might prove a little too complicated for many viewers.
Andy Klein – Los Angeles CityBeatAudiences might enjoy this cinematic sleight of hand, but the key characters are such single-minded, calculating individuals that the real magic would be to find any heart in this tale.
Kirk Honeycutt – Hollywood Reporter
As of right now, The Prestige is holding a disappointing 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Much lower than I was hoping for.
Ok, let me use a sports analogy here. Sometimes, when a GREAT football team is playing a crap team this week, but a GOOD team next week, they’ll be so focused on next week that they forget to give their full attention to the team they’re playing NOW and get beat… my question is… COULD THAT BE THE CASE HERE? Could Nolan have been too preoccupied with Batman 2 stuff that he didn’t have enough focus on The Prestige??? Just a thought. Tell me what you think after you see the film.
I think it has its magic. Nolan is really talented.
The plot wasn’t that complicated, it was stupid. I could have liked this movie, I almost did, and I wanted too. Of the major “twists” I thought one of them was good, even though I saw it about half-way through. The other one was just stupid. They should leave the “sci-fi” out of this story. I guess that’s not really the movie’s fault, since it was based on a book but that whole angle just it made it ridiculous at the end.
I was so let down by that ending
film of the year for me…….right up there with nolan’s other masterpiece…memento….spellbinding stuff with christian bale giving a wonderfully understated performance….he really has got to be one of the bets out there at the moment……storyline too complicated???…only if your used bruce willis action pics that require the brain to stay at home
I think the movie just rocks!!! One of the best I’ve seen lately. The storyline is so different, it’s refreshing. I think it deserves an 85% rating, maybe higher.
i would just like to say, i just saw the movie with my school in S.A and i think it rocks!!!
You know im a big fan of Christian Bale, loved Batman Begins (finally they did it right!!!) but this Prestige was a major let down. I also consider myself to have good movie taste. But this film as it said in one of the quotes “A dazzlingly complicated narrative; indeed, it might prove a little too complicated for many viewers.
Andy Klein – Los Angeles CityBeat” is hittin the nail right on the head. Its been a long time since ive watched a movie and been like “where was the climax” in this fim and “what the heck was this about????”.
I think its the type of film you would need to see afew times for the average person to fully understand. Nice visual effects and David Bowie was i’d say one of the only good things about this.
Awsome movie.
but confused about one thing. at the end of the movie.. there is a bubble that comes somwhere from the tank. is he still alive or dead?
I heard about the storyline of the film and really did not want to see it and was not expecting a lot from it, it really wasn’t my type of film. I went to see it with a few friends though. Some of them enjoyed it, a few us didn’t like it… I hated it the most. Kirk Honeycutt pretty much sums up my take on The Prestige. It may be your type of movie, but if you go to the theatres to see a movie that is a great story, this is not one of them. This is not a movie for a liberal arts mind.
Solid film. I understand how things seem to move slowly and some may find that boring. I caught all of the twists and surprises way in advance (probably ruined the film for my g-friend) but the ending and the philosophical differences between the two illusionists is pretty intense. The way these two antagonize and attempt to one up each other is more than obsession it’s sick. I was also surprised that Cutter/Michael Caine didn’t ‘really’ get his hands dirty. His life intertwined with these two for years and he was able to pull that off.
Really are no good guys in this film.
Love Nolan’s work makes me want to see that 1st English film he did with his brother again!
WHAT A BORE! WHICKER MAN PUT ME TO SLEEP BUT THIS FILM MADE ME SNORE! TOTAL TAT! I SWEAR IT WAS TOO LOOOOONG I WAS ITCHING TO GET OUT OF THE CINEMA!
I just saw it. One of the best movies I’ve seen in years. Those lukewarm reviews read like those critics saw some other movie. The “elaborate plot mechanisms” were a pure mental pleasure to unfold, some aspects surprising, others not. But it was deeply satisfying throughout. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, please don’t read the rest of this. ****The protagonists are alternately totally sympathetic and good, then cold and calculating. They take turns as “hero” until the end. This movie really explores human nature, showing how even a little dishonesty used for innocuous purposes can spread, infecting your life and corrupting you thoroughly. If you like mysteries, suspense, science fiction, puzzles, romance, fantasy, and creepy, twisted tales or any combination of the above I think you will find The Prestige well worth the price of your ticket.
This film is brilliant and good casts..I agreed with JC indeed and we got such a good taste!
See but thats just it. Its coming to the point where people are too impatient these days. When people go to the movies, they go to see what they can see. But if you look beyond the movie it will open your mind to things that we as humans may never comprehend. The prestige to me was one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, due to the fact that it makes you think. Without trying to spoil the movie for those who haven’t seen it, Think of it as this, the movie was never about how did they pull those tricks off, more like why?
Impatient people will not be able to watch this movie. If you are impatient, by the time the finale comes, you’ll think “yah, I knew all along”. But you don’t. You just want to comfort yourself that it is something you could have figured out.
A good story, not in a fabulously spectacular way, but that is more than enough to make a good movie. Buy your popcorn.
I don’t who the critics are who gave this movies a bad reivew, but all I have to say is that this movie is fantastic! Rottentomatoes is not the best website to get a fair review. I think those guys are idoits. The Presitge is one of the best movies I have seen in years. Anyone who gave this movie a bad review is a MORON!!!
Just saw it, BEST MOVIE I’VE EVERRR seen.
I really don’t get why the reviews were so bad. Were they watching a different movie or something? All the movies that came out before this one were terrible. At least THE PRESTIGE makes you think, and keeps you engaged.
I thought the movie was great, and it honestly exceeded my expectations. The complicity of the stroyline made it even better. I think people are giving it bad reviews because they thought it was going to be about two wizards fighting, which is what the early trailers kind of made it seem like. The only thing close to real magic in the movie, wasn’t even magic at all, it was science. Another thing that was interesting was all the twist and turns in the storyline. Overall, Nolan did a great job with this movie.
Hey John,
I saw The Prestige this past weekend, and although I was taken aback by the advance RT reviews, the movie does satisfy just like most of Nolan’s past work. It’s fun, smart, and engaging – a bit slow at times, but all in all a movie worth watching.
Ryan
you know what i havent seen a movie like this in a while .. i ahve seen scary lame movie , comic movies that arent so bad , i seen very many movie and this is the first in a very very long time that its new .. its fresh something you dont normaly see every day .. something you cant relate to another theme ( or movie ) so SKREw the reviews ..
Just saw it yesterday. Thought it was fine. Actually better than I expected. Of course that is comparing it to Marie A that I saw the day before…sucked…luckily the popcorn was good. Still costume and cinematography was done well…trying to find the positive.
No matter what the critics say, any movie with Christian Bale as the lead and Christopher Nolan at the helm has got to be worth seeing. The two work amazingly together. Anyone who saw Batman Begins knows what I’m talking about.
Lou_Sytsma, ya, Bana is NOT in the movie, i always confuse him with Hugh Jackman – i don’t know why – i always say Lawrence Fishburn when i mean to say Sam Jackson too – i don’t think those actors look alike (in either case) i just always say the wrong names
…great movie movi though, i’m gonna watch it again with diffirent friends is how much i enjoyed it.
The Prestige may be the best film of the year for me. The performances were excellent, cinematography was superb, production design was exquisite, and above all, the direction from Christopher Nolan is amazing from beginning to end.
What really brought this film above all others was the ending. Yes, the ending is polarizing. If you understand the ending, you will like the movie, love it, or even dislike it (it depends on your POV on the entire film). If you DON’T understand the finale, you will NOT like this movie. I think there were about 4 twists in the movie (maybe even more). I loved how Nolan treated the film as a magic trick itself. Some twists are obvious but again these were the parts of misdirection that led to the big twists.
Good to hear Gonzo! Thanks for the review. But Bana is not in the movie is he?
Fan45 you make big assumptions about John, and which are totally wrong BTW. John can make up his own mind. He doesn’t need your advice.
i saw The Prestige today and it is a great movie – depth of characters, great story, twist ending (and satisfying) and Bana and Bale get to show some real acting chops to north america.
Great movie, fuck the critics, it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of a movie i think is good.
I consider myself to have a pretty high standard and good taste in films but i also LOVE some of the crappiest movies out there but I am the one enjoying them so fuck it righ?
Hey John, I agree with Tom. You get ansy wayyy to early; It shows that you are “unsure” of your own opinions. If you hear about a movie and think its good, that should be it. You shouldn’t second guess yourself because some critics EARLY ON complained about it. Stay at home, The Prestige doesn’t need your money.
Say what you will about critics, they may not get it totally right, but they are usually in the right ball park. I don’t let critics determine what I think but I do use them to set my expectations accordingly.
Who did I call a name? I read my post again and I don’t see it. I just think letting critics determine what people should think is weak.
Hey Tom
Ummm… where did I say I wasn’t looking forward to it as much? I just read the post again… nope… don’t see it.
That’s pretty weak minded to call someone names. It’s the last resort of the weak.
Because of what some critics said, you’re now not looking forward to it as much? That’s pretty weak minded.
And yeah, you should probably wait until they get all the reviews in before jumping the gun and posting about how bad the Rottentomatoes score is. But jumping the gun is an art form on the internets, so it’s not surprising.
Rottentomatoes is a shitty site, by the way.
Irregardless of the latest fluctuations in the Tomato ratings, expectations were for a home run because of the people involved. This is sounding more like a double.
It’s up 10% since you posted John. according to the rotten tomatometer I see it’s holding a pretty solid 70% score.
I think RT is ok. I never agree with them most of the time. I’m still looking forward to The Prestige.
I could careless if the reviews are less than stellar. I’m excited about this movie, as is my daughter, so Saturday afternoon we’ll be settling ourselves down in a dark cinema.
I think everyone jumped the gun by about a week. At the moment The Prestige is at 71% on the RottenTomatoes – which generally means it’s a solid “good” movie.
I’m not going to say it’s a good until I see it, but then, I wasn’t writing articles that it would suck three days ago either.
I liked where your analogy was going at first. I thought you were going to make the point that everyone loved Batman Begins so much that they can’t help but compare the two. Granted, I did not really love Batman Begins, but I can still see why many people would go to the Prestige and be disapointed that it’s not another action flick.
That was alot of rambling to make this point: I don’t care about the reviews, this movie will rock!
Critics are nothing but individuals just like you and me with an avenue to broadcast their opinions, but make no mistake, they are just opinions. And you know what they say about opinions…
I’ve never understood people who place so much importance on what critics think. Sometimes I agree with them, sometimes I dont. The weak minded among us, I guess, can be swayed by the opinions of others regarding something as subjective as film.
Nolan has not let me down yet, as i have loved all of his films so far.
The opinions of critics mean nothing to me, as does the tomatometer. I respect their right to their own opinion and I have nothing against them personally for voicing their opinions, but a weak review from a critic will in no way influence my desire to see a movie.
This is nothing. I’ll be waiting Friday for the final score.
Either way, the actors are awesome and the story sounds promising. I really don’t care what everyone else thinks just as long as I like it when I see it.
A wise man once said, “never listen to the critics,” but I still can’t help feeling let down at the early reviews of The Prestige. Between the reviews, and my wife telling me that she doesn’t want to see it, I’m starting to get bummed out about this one.
tomatometer is over-rated. i am seeing this film tonight and cannot wait. I want to see this “one-dimensional”-ness for myself. And I would never bet against Nolan’s focus on a specific film.
Marie Antoinette has a higher rating on rotten them The Prestige? WTF??
I heard that some early reviews werent promising for this, but I am still psyched to see this movie. I am a little dissapointed that Im not hearing better things, but Ill reserve judgement until I see it. Still holding out that its gonna be good.