My Stupid Smart Brain (for once!)
I am a wonderful audience member. And it's not just because I laugh in a completely inappropriate manner at jokes you haven't been getting a laugh on. It's because I'm so gullible. For a person of my cynicism and generalized intellect, I am ridiculously predisposed to believe any old tripe you’d like to throw my way. Pointing at the ceiling? I’ll look up. Making a movie where the family members in peril from ghosts are actually the ghosts themselves? I’ll watch it with the wonder of a small child with Shrinky-Dinks.
And yet, watching The Prestige last night, my wee and credulous brain failed me completely. I love Christopher Nolan, with his big, gloomy set pieces and his apparent MGM-style contract with the wonderful Christian Bale (and also Michael Caine). Scarlett Johansen was even mildly tolerable and there were lots of fun magic tricks that I couldn’t figure out.
Warning: Not really any spoilers, per se, but I’m afraid that if you know too much about the structure of the film, it could spoil it.
Early in the film, Bale’s character rebuffs a request for a trick’s secret from his wife, saying that once the audience figures out how the trick is done, they lose all respect for the magician. I learned this was true after I figured out the first twist with about an hour left, and the second one with a good 15-20 minutes left. After that, I was mostly left to ponder the fuckedupedness, while a good portion of the audience sucked in shocked breaths.
End Fakeo Spoilers
What is the point of going to see a decently-written, well-acted, surprise-ending movie if you’re not surprised? Especially in a movie called The Prestige - the word indicating the third part of a magic trick where the sawed girl is revealed to be unharmed - the final reveal should be amazing! This should also be true when you’re Christopher Nolan and have given the world one of the biggest reveal endings in Memento.
This is not to say that it wasn’t a good film. I really enjoyed the performances of Bale and Jackman (and David Bowie and Andy Serkis have some fun, too). I like the way Nolan twists the idea of what the prestige should be, and I’ve found myself thinking about the skewed nature of the film since last night. So overall I’m just disappointed in my brain for it’s first ever act of smartness. Never would I have thought that I would miss my doey-eyed naiveté. This had better not happen again.
Did anyone else see this movie? Please tell me you figured it out, too, and that I’m not suddenly and horribly prescient.
And yet, watching The Prestige last night, my wee and credulous brain failed me completely. I love Christopher Nolan, with his big, gloomy set pieces and his apparent MGM-style contract with the wonderful Christian Bale (and also Michael Caine). Scarlett Johansen was even mildly tolerable and there were lots of fun magic tricks that I couldn’t figure out.
Warning: Not really any spoilers, per se, but I’m afraid that if you know too much about the structure of the film, it could spoil it.
Early in the film, Bale’s character rebuffs a request for a trick’s secret from his wife, saying that once the audience figures out how the trick is done, they lose all respect for the magician. I learned this was true after I figured out the first twist with about an hour left, and the second one with a good 15-20 minutes left. After that, I was mostly left to ponder the fuckedupedness, while a good portion of the audience sucked in shocked breaths.
End Fakeo Spoilers
What is the point of going to see a decently-written, well-acted, surprise-ending movie if you’re not surprised? Especially in a movie called The Prestige - the word indicating the third part of a magic trick where the sawed girl is revealed to be unharmed - the final reveal should be amazing! This should also be true when you’re Christopher Nolan and have given the world one of the biggest reveal endings in Memento.
This is not to say that it wasn’t a good film. I really enjoyed the performances of Bale and Jackman (and David Bowie and Andy Serkis have some fun, too). I like the way Nolan twists the idea of what the prestige should be, and I’ve found myself thinking about the skewed nature of the film since last night. So overall I’m just disappointed in my brain for it’s first ever act of smartness. Never would I have thought that I would miss my doey-eyed naiveté. This had better not happen again.
Did anyone else see this movie? Please tell me you figured it out, too, and that I’m not suddenly and horribly prescient.