I was underwhelmed by this movie after I watched it, but I also know that everyone who loved it said that you need to watch it AT LEAST twice to really see all the twists and absorb their meaning. The only problem is that I really can't work up the enthusiasm to watch it again. So, while I can't say that I've fully explored this film, I can say that, in the words of Randy Jackson, it was just alright for me, dawg.
On the credits side of the ledger, the film did a good job of engaging interesting themes about the nature of creativity, showmanship and the rise of the scientific and the death of wonder in the industrial world. Unfortunately, the illusions themselves felt underwhelming, and the dueling magicians played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale didn't establish themselves as unique characters. And the ladies were largely window dressing, though in the case of Scarlet Johansson, damn fine window dressing. And, most problematic, the big twist at the end wasn't really a twist so much as a weird intrusion of science fiction that was introduced fairly early in the film. The only reason it surprises at the end is that the viewer just assumes that it's too "out there" given the rest of the film's content. There is a thematic justification for this: it puts the audience in the same place as the magic audiences of the film: confronted with something that defies our understanding of the universe and forced to reconcile what we are seeing with what we know. Damn, maybe I will watch it again.
Preliminary Score: 7.0
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment