GamerTab That was an excellent one.

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

martinxperry-14868 Edward Norton at his best. The film reflects the weather that is found in centeral Europe and this adds to the authentic look and feel of the film. Very enjoyable film to watch.

Predrag This highly suspenseful film is full of ghosts, magic, and murder. It is great entertainment as you the viewer try to figure out whether the film is about magic and illusion or revenge and murder. The story takes place in the last 1800's in Vienna during the reign of the Hapsburgs. In fact, Crown Prince Rudolf is a primary player in the story. Rufus Sewell, who has played every European king in one film or another, does a super job of play Rudolf. But the primary story is about a young village boy who becomes fascinated with magic and a young aristocratic girl. Ed Norton plays the adult magician, Eisenheim, now grown up and returning to seek the girl he has never forgotten. His magical skills have increased exponentially and they are the tool by which he makes his living, and by which he courts his long lost love, and by which the film's mysteries are finally resolved.The characters are masterfully portrayed by the cast and help carry the viewer along as they experience the situations generated by the fascinating story of an individual who rises to the top of his profession as an illusionist but is in love with that unobtainable women who is the object of all he desires. This movie is powerful and effective and carries the viewer along on a ride that offers fantasy mystery with adventure and romance thrown in as extras. The settings and ambiance leave little to be desired and establish an aura of romantic intrigue that compliments the outstanding acting on the part of the entire cast. The background music and surround sound never overpower the dialogue and the overall balance produces a highly effective movie that leaves the viewer wanting more.Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

Miguel Neto I was watching The Illusionist expecting something like The Prestige, more unfortunately is much lower, even though different movie where the only thing in common is the magic, The Illusionist is a good cast, Edward Norton as well, and the rest of the well competent cast the direction of Neil Burger is good, the film script has some problems, more is competent, the soundtrack is good, the pace is more or less, the film can be tedious, photography and costumes are good, they have good times, and the last minutes of the film are good also, more the Illusionist sins in several aspects, most have a good time and it worth taking a look. Note 7.1

sharky_55 Why are the two leads of The Illusionist, Eisenheim and Sophie, so drawn to each other throughout their lives? We are apparently shown in a long flashback sequence. Anyone would recognise this as a flashback even without the words - the softening bloom of the edges, the saturation of the yellows, the slight vignette effect, the ornate shallow focus. This is all very pretty, but it doesn't shed much light on their relationship, other then the fact that it is the classic rich girl drawn to the street tramp and his tricks. And later in the painfully slow, clichéd and draw out love scene, they silently stare into each other's eyes, and the camera keeps it all nice and PG, presenting only vague spots of skin in the flickering candlelight. Perhaps they are silent because after years apart they still have nothing to say. The film gives no indication of any kind that would justify the pair being the soul-mates they are; their characterisation is lazily empty (as are their atrociously inept accents, a result of the unnecessary decision to set the film in some vague, anachronistic period). But of course this type of film is not about the characters - it holds the same tension and mystery as a heist, or a detective story. It relies the audience, similar to the one at Eisenheim's magic shows, to not think too hard or pay complete attention...to be distracted by the obvious distractions that the magician holds up, or in this case, the director. There are a few clever moments; one is when Eisenheim greets Sophie after years apart with the conventional magician's test that proves she is not one of his plants, but in the case the words are laced with heartbreak and regret. But of course we are not made to care and hope for these two - the flashback has already established that they will be together by the end of the film (because no script would ever tear a pair apart like that and have them simply never see each other again), so where is the tension? At the end, Uhl pulls together all the pieces in our minds, and this is where usually we have our fingers ready at the pause button, to map all the subtle clues and eagerly flick back through the film to spot them. But this film doesn't even grant us that little joy. It shows us flickers of events we have not previously seen, and congratulates itself on being so clever for revealing something that was inevitable. We see the same problem with the main villain, Leopold. He comes with evil twirling moustache and all and as always, is completely convinced that his actions are necessary and for the greater good. This would actually mean something if we saw anything of this world besides a few peasant audiences, beggar boys and faceless policemen. They haven't even cast the Emperor, so who cares about a baddie trying to overthrow him?