(no subject)

[learnedax]

So, finally saw The Illusionist last night. I wasn't really blown away per se, but it was a very enjoyable film, with fun magic stuff.
I believe essentially all of the effects shown are documentable, which is pretty keen. My only disappointment with the narrative was that despite slippery ambiguity about whether the magic was supernatural, the actual plot proceeded in a fairly expected fashion, morally questionable twist ending frame job notwithstanding. It was interesting to discover that the prince was basically right about everything, but ultimately you had to know that the girl isn't going to really die, so you start thinking about how her death could have been faked, etc. There were still clever aspects to the reveal, but I guess I was expecting a little more complexity to the plot overall.

Still recommended.

Comments

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I chalked the ghost effect up to dramatic license. They want to convey to a *modern* audience the effect the illusion would have had on a *period* audience. In those days, remember, Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur was "convincingly realistic".