Now Watching: The Illusionist

I went into this movie with quite high expectations. My grandfather--who, I must say, is a rather severe movie critic--positively raved about it when he and my grandma were here in December, so I went into it with a high standard. And, happily, I wasn't disappointed!

The film is set in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Edward Norton plays Eisenheim, a stage magician who has amazed almost all of Europe and is now setting his sights on Vienna. His show attracts the attention of the Crown Prince (played by Rufus Sewell), along with the woman he intends to marry. While at one of the shows, the Prince volunteers this woman to assist Eisenheim on the stage--and the magician recognizes her as his childhood sweetheart, Sophie von Teschen (played by Jessica Biel). What follows is a tale of love, betrayel, loyalty, jealousy, and, above all, illusion.

Overall, it is a very good film. The casting is excellent, although some of the accents sound a little weird (I'm still trying to figure out what kind of accent Edward Norton was supposed to have), as is the direction, and, above all, the cinematography. It is absolutely beautiful to watch, and Dick Pope certainly deserved his Oscar nomination for the cinematography--this is one of the most gorgeous films I've seen since Girl with a Pearl Earring. Just lovely.

An intriguing story, coupled with excellent acting, directing, and cinematography, as well as those always-popular plot twists, make this film a definite must-see... and beware: nothing is as it seems. 10/10

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and violence.