Review of The Illusionist (2006) by Chads. — 02 Sep 2006
"The Illusionist" cheats a little. Without giving away anything, what actually transpires at the end seems contrary to what is being set up because the special effects are too good. In the third act, a crucial bit of information that goes unsaid feels like a contrivance to extend the film's running time since it would've facilitated the same end result anyway.
If the film went in another direction, it would've emboldened the creepy atmospherics of the illusionist's stage show. Since "The Illusionist" goes for the too happy ending, the filmmaker undermined the strongest part of his film.
Still, it's a film worth seeing in spite of being burdened by the star-crossed lovers ordeal, and the duel of elaborate facial hair presentation between Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti.
This review of The Illusionist (2006) was written by Chads. on 02 Sep 2006.
The Illusionist has generally received very positive reviews.
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