The Prestige or The Illusionist? Discuss!
 

I have only seen The Prestige, which was awesome. I was wondering if it's worth it to check out the other magician movie.

i wouldn't say "rocks harder", but i did like it a bit more. though, "The Illusionist" had its own charm and mystique.

Both were great films for different reasons. Prestige if your in for a good revenge type film and Illusionist if you want more love story feel.

I had the same contemplation - initially. :)

However, <I>The Illusionist</I> and <I>The Prestige</I> are two different beasts. Though similar in conception regarding the age and topic, each film's cinemtography, story, and characterizations all differ to such a degree that both merit their own special place in cinematic history. When you look at the visual, aural, and scriptual styles, the two achieve a close comparison to the apples and oranges debate. Though they both embody the "historical magic" persona, each film achieves well more than that.

Now, between the two, The Prestige still rings true as the more thrilling, engaging, and beautiful production. Hopefully this statement will help the inquiry: I own BOTH DVDs in my collection because of the diverse nature of the two films. :up:

There's no way I can pick. I saw both for the first time this week within days of each other and really enjoyed them both. Like gryffin already covered, there's not a lot in common when you really get into the movies. I'll be adding both DVDs to my collection eventually.

If you've only seen one it's absolutely worth seeing the other.

I did enjoy The Illusionist. However, after viewing both films, I remember The Prestige clearly and other than knowing The Illusionist is a love story, I can't recall that much about the story.

The Prestige was meatier and more interesting, The Illusionist was fluffier and easier to digest.

I enjoyed both films immensely but thought there was more to the Illusionist than the Prestige. Both had a 'lot' but in the end, I enjoyed the Illusionist more.

Both were good, but I thought The Illusionist was a tighter movie.

I voted for The Prestige, but I own both movies and think they are both really good!

I liked both but think the Prestige would have been better if it stuck to the magic aspect and didn't turn into a sci fi film.

same here!

I waited until both were on DVD before renting them. Does it matter which I watch first?

I didn't really like either of them (which doesn't seem to be an option).

Same here, I want to watch The Prestige again already. With, The Illusionist, once is enough for me. I would like to bring Edward Norton into The Prestige and send Hugh Jackman to The Illusionist, I don't really enjoy him.

I say the Prestige, but that could partly be because I am a die-hard Nolan and Bale fan.

I popped in The Illusionist a while back and kept wondering "Where is Hugh Jackman???". After about 30 minutes I realized I got the films mixed up!

Both were great and very different from each other. A friend of mine said a good way to compare is that The Illusionist is more of a chick flick while The Prestige has a lot more "action". LOL Not sure if Iwould describe them that way. See them both!

Only The Prestige really didn't have much action, haha. The Prestige on repeat viewings reveals itself as one of the most conversation heavy movies I've ever seen.

i couldn't stay awake during the illusionist...

I rented and enjoyed 'The Illusionist'. Was kinda irked its not on HD or BR. I plan on picking up 'The Prestige' tomorrow along with 'Stranger then Fiction'.

I thought both were grossly overrated and the "twists" were pretty easy to catch. So, I am voting for the one that does not have the goofy sci-fi copout.

I liked both films.

But I would have to say that The Illusionist is my favourite of the two because (1) it didn't cost as much money, (2) it is less violent and (2) it doesn't verge into sci-fi/fantasy/comic book-related action picture (CRAP for short) :editking: territory, even though its stage tricks are so elaborately unbelievable that the viewer is simply tricked into believing in the supernatural.

In The Prestige's defense, I thought the real magic trick in the film was that it was so involving that I didn't spend half a minute all throught the film thinking about the art direction. As a viewer, I was just simply taken into the story and I really believed I was witnessing a story set in that era, which seldom happens.

Liked both films but The Prestige stood out more.

Even though both feature ridiculous 'real' magic tricks at the end, I felt The Prestige actually did something with it. It was done in The Illusionist as simply a convenience.

And to The Prestige's defense (I didn't care for the scifi bit initially either), they do play it up non-stop from the beginning of the movie (hats, birds), the biggest being the transportation of electricity over 15 miles to the field of light bulbs.