The Prestige

Advanced screeings are delightful, not just because they are free, but because they are marketed to a cross-section of the movie-going population in an effort to create an adequate sample size. A packed theater is not fun in any other context than an eager group of advanced screeners.

Last week, I took Jaylin to see The Prestige thanks to a pass mailed to me by Let's Meet Out. On the outset, he was enthused to spend time with me more so than to witness the cinematic thrill of a screening; however as the plot twisted and turned unfolding in a manner I can best liken to the confusion and suspense The Usual Suspects instilled in me, he got really into the film. The truth was that we got there in the nick of time to secure two seats together, unfortunately they were in the VERY first row. I'm very much a middle of the middle kinda theater seater.

I withhold commentary on the caliber of the acting itself for fear of wrongly assigning credit due a magnificient plot to actors of great acclaim. Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman, and Christian Bale came together to create an aura of masculine competition tempered by vengence bred by shared mentorship and mishaps. The infusion of science at the tail end of the film elevated the stakes but diminished the overall flavor of the film. However the moral dilemmas that sprung up from the revelation within the final,supernatural plot twist were worth the somewhat hokey nature of what was introduced.

While the movie did not disregard the importance of a love story to reach the mainstream, it focused its cinematic energy on mostly non-violent representations of testosterone-charged aggression. The primary emotion in the film was unbridled, obsessive one-upmanship. The desire these men felt to outdo one another and learn the other's secrets just to best him at his own trick was palpable--kudos to Hugh and Christian.

It's been a long time since I wanted to re-watch a film in the theaters, The Prestige definitely made its way onto that list.