The Illusionist (2006)

[CheezeFlixz]

Well I'm not sure if this is the right thread as this is a new big budget release film.
(Mod: move it if it's in the wrong thread please)

The Illusionist     pretty darn entertaining to me. I'm not going to do a review on it per se but a brief overview ...

Film in and around Prague it's full of great eye candy. (If you've never been there ... GO!)

Director Neil Burger's screen adaptation of Steven Millhauser's short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist'. Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is a magician in early 1900's Vienna, who falls in love with a woman (Jessica Biel) well above his social standing. When she becomes engaged to a Crown Prince, Eisenheim uses his powers to free her and undermine the stability of the royal house of Vienna.

Not a sappy love story as the plot sounds, but a entertaining film. Filmed to look a bit like an old photograph and rich with texture made it visually appealling. As with most films there were some gaping plot hole and parts of the story that didn't seem to fit. The last two minute of film puts it all together, which annoyed me a little that wasn't some better clues throughout the film to egg you along with the investigation being done by Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti)  only at the end did he have this epiphany as to just what happened, which again seem to come out of nowhere for the most part. I'll have to watch it again to see if I missed something, which very well could have happened. Because after the film was over I thought back and had one of those "ah yea" moments. However during the film they were very easily missed as they got lost in the sea of sub plots.

I'm giving it 3 1/2 out of 5 slices of cheese.

Clearly a renter, maybe a keeper, I'll have answer after I watch it again. Couple of small extras on the disc along with the commentary, nothing magical though.

IMDB LINK:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443543/

edited for clarity

[money]

lollerz, i was about to yell at you -  thinking that you were going to say The Illusionist was a BAD movie!!!

The Illusionist is the first love story that I have ever.... fallen for. I almost melted when (the grown up magician) and (the grown up girl) kissed..

I am 20, and male. 

[~Archivist~]

I just saw The Illusionist early this January, and I really liked it as well.  Certainly not a mushy chick flick, definitely the kind of romance that a guy can relate to.  The characters and plot drive this from a male viewpoint, and not really that much for a female.  Edward Norton does a great job, and I was surprised that Jessica Biel can act!  Then again, I've only seen her in Blade Trinity, so I guess that doesn't count.

[Neville]

I also found it far more interesting than I expected. Yes. it is a period drama and a love story, but the director knows well what he is doing. The mystery surrounding all the magician's acts is also a main attractive, specially when they start to be the main focus in the story, and although it's one of those jerk-you-around movies the theme itself prepares you to expect twists, so you rarely feel cheated.

And some great acting by the main trio (specially Norton and Giamatti) and you have one of the few commercial A movies this year that it's likely to be enjoyed by all kind of viewers.