Well, I watched The Prestige (PG13, 2006) before seeing this (although it came out first), and there were quite a few parallels between the two (virtually everything but the plot itself was similar). Now, although this one came out first, it was certainly the worse of the two. The Prestige was much more professional and well-crafted... and more interesting too! Now, the camera footage in both movies were spectacular, and if I really had to choose, I would say that the scenery/lighting in this film was better than that of The Prestige. However, the footage was poorly pieced together, and made the film seem choppy, at best (the transitions were fairly sudden and abrupt). Also, Paul Giamatti was too quiet in his dialogue (as seems to be the recurring case with his more recent films). I also feel that Edward Norton isn't a very good actor, as it seems he can only be happy or frustrated. Basically, the whole cast in this movie wasn't great... I mean, there are no outstanding performances (nor are there well-known actors to make up for it!). Like The Prestige, The Illusionist revolves around a great magician � this time called Eisenheim (Edward Norton) � in the early 1900s. Ever since he was a boy, Eisenheim realized that he had a gift when it came to the art of magic tricks. He has since developed his skills and become one of the greatest magicians in the land. But even with all this success, he is still haunted by the love of his life, Sophie (Jessica Biel); a girl he fell in love with as a youth but was forbidden to see because they were from different classes. After traveling the world and mastering his trade, Eisenheim returns to his native land to find that his love has become a princess and will soon marry Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). There is still hope, as Sophie still loves Eisenheim and would risk everything to run off with him as they used to plan when they were younger. Now, you can't just run out on your fiancé, especially when he's a psychopathic heir to the throne! Could there possibly be a happily-ever-after for this love struck couple? You'll have to see it for yourself if you want to find out. Personally, I think you should just watch The Prestige instead; it has the same feel yet is better at the same time! As with The Prestige, the everything is shown, and then explained at the end. Unlike The Prestige, I found that although this film came together well, it was predictable and fairly bland until the conclusion. Rent it if you'd like....
