I had to watch the Prestige two times before actually understanding it. Great performances all around and the petty competition between the two magician, or illusionists, is great to watch.
What I really enjoy is that mind bending twist. Jackman thinks Bale is using actual magic. Being jealous and wanting to better him, he invents actual "magic" (well, Tesla does, but that's details). Then it turns out, that Bale never actually used real magic... Awesome twist.
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But that's exactly what all real-life "magic" is about.
If you know how it is done it boils down to a (more or less) simple trick.
Or in other words: If you know how the illusion is achieved the magic is gone.
And in this regard "The Prestige" is one of the best movies about magicians and illusionists.
Had it been about real-life "magic", that would be a different movie. I felt it was presented as a movie about illusions, as The Illusionist was. The "how it's done" at the end was unsatisfying for me because unlike the rest of the movie, it wasn't an illusion. Right in the final minutes, they changed the rules of the game. You don't find out how the trick was done because it wasn't a trick.
As I said, I still enjoy the movie. And now that I know what's coming, it doesn't annoy me. But that first viewing wasn't not enjoyable.
Had it been about real-life "magic", that would be a different movie. I felt it was presented as a movie about illusions, as The Illusionist was. The "how it's done" at the end was unsatisfying for me because unlike the rest of the movie, it wasn't an illusion. Right in the final minutes, they changed the rules of the game. You don't find out how the trick was done because it wasn't a trick.
Well, it's a twist ending. Like I said, you are told to think it might be "magic" but then it isn't, all the while Jackman's character obtains actual "magic". Not to everybody's liking, obviously. However, at least on second watch, you will find that the key-giveaway is in the first shot of the film, giving you the information to understand that it's "magic", and not a trick, much earlier than just the end. I am of course referring to the top hats in the garden...