Neirai the Forgiven
Christian Guilds List Manager
I know this one's a bit older, but I saw it yesterday at my cousin's.
The basic plot (roughly spoiler-free):
The movie opens with an illusionist doing a "disappearing act" where he drops through a trapdoor in the stage and lands under the stage, while his "double" appears onstage to applause. Only he doesn't land on a cushion this time. He lands in a "death aquarium" -- you know, the aquariums that illusionists like to use that have double-thick-glass, are filled with water, and have locks on them that can be easily opened from the inside. Only, this aquarium has normal locks in it, so the man can't get out. He drowns. His rival is found watching him drown, and is summarily sentenced to death.
The rest of the movie is a huge flashback that shows the events leading up to the murder, and highlights the obsession and ruthlessness with which the two men attempt to outdue each other.
Cons: There are no heroes. No one can claim to be the "good guy." Several people die fairly horridly in this movie, and there is a suicide. You never see anything overly nasty, but the implications are disturbing at times. Also, there are fairly graphic (and bloody) depictions of the kind of accidents that can happen when illusions go wrong. Edit: and some up-played sexuality due to female performing constumes and a (albeit between married folk) short scene that seems to be heading towards intimacy.
Pros: I guess this isn't a "pro" per se, but the "magic" employed in the movie is never seen to be supernatural, but rather to be illusion and science. Nothing occultic happens. Also, the ruthless acts shown in the movie are strongly tied to harsh consequences -- without fail. Everyone's misdeeds leads them deeper and deeper into trouble.
Summary: The Prestige is a movie about revenge and obsession. While it by no means is a 'Christian film,' it deals in the harsh truth that 'stopping at nothing' to accomplish a goal will end up making the goal cost much more than anyone imagined. It also shows how thinking that 'the ends justify the means' only shows how far one has fallen.
Would I see it again? Probably not.
Did I learn from it? Totally.
Would I recommend other people see it? If you are going to think about the message it presents, totally.
The basic plot (roughly spoiler-free):
The movie opens with an illusionist doing a "disappearing act" where he drops through a trapdoor in the stage and lands under the stage, while his "double" appears onstage to applause. Only he doesn't land on a cushion this time. He lands in a "death aquarium" -- you know, the aquariums that illusionists like to use that have double-thick-glass, are filled with water, and have locks on them that can be easily opened from the inside. Only, this aquarium has normal locks in it, so the man can't get out. He drowns. His rival is found watching him drown, and is summarily sentenced to death.
The rest of the movie is a huge flashback that shows the events leading up to the murder, and highlights the obsession and ruthlessness with which the two men attempt to outdue each other.
Cons: There are no heroes. No one can claim to be the "good guy." Several people die fairly horridly in this movie, and there is a suicide. You never see anything overly nasty, but the implications are disturbing at times. Also, there are fairly graphic (and bloody) depictions of the kind of accidents that can happen when illusions go wrong. Edit: and some up-played sexuality due to female performing constumes and a (albeit between married folk) short scene that seems to be heading towards intimacy.
Pros: I guess this isn't a "pro" per se, but the "magic" employed in the movie is never seen to be supernatural, but rather to be illusion and science. Nothing occultic happens. Also, the ruthless acts shown in the movie are strongly tied to harsh consequences -- without fail. Everyone's misdeeds leads them deeper and deeper into trouble.
Summary: The Prestige is a movie about revenge and obsession. While it by no means is a 'Christian film,' it deals in the harsh truth that 'stopping at nothing' to accomplish a goal will end up making the goal cost much more than anyone imagined. It also shows how thinking that 'the ends justify the means' only shows how far one has fallen.
Would I see it again? Probably not.
Did I learn from it? Totally.
Would I recommend other people see it? If you are going to think about the message it presents, totally.