The Prestige
Summary
Long before there was Barbenheimer , there was the classical 2006 magician movie clash betweenThe PrestigeandThe Illusionist . Christopher Nolan’sThe Prestigefeatured an outstanding casting pass by Christian Bale , Hugh Jackman , Scarlett Johansson , Michael Caine , Andy Serkis , and David Bowie . It was just the fifth characteristic moving-picture show directed by Nolan and his first beforeThe Dark Knight , which arguably remains his greatest movie to particular date even afterOppenheimerwon Best Picture at the 2023 Oscars . The Prestigewas nominated for two Oscars in Cinematography and Art Direction and received a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 77 % and an audience mark of 92 % .
Meanwhile , The Illusionistwas write and directed by Neil Burger ( Divergent , Billions ) and starred Edward Norton , Paul Giamatti , Jessica Biel , and Rufus Sewell . As it sometimes happens in Hollywood , two moving-picture show with nearly identical subject area subject are give up within a similar timeframe . Other model of this phenomenon includeNo Strings AttachedandFriends With Benefits , which were both free in 2011 , andOlympus Has FallenandWhite House Down , which were both released in 2013.The Illusionistwas interestingly also nominate for an Oscar in Cinematography in 2007.The Illusionistearned a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 73 % and an audience scotch of 83 % .
The Illusionist & The Prestige’s 2006 Competition Explained
The films share an eerie number of similarities
The Prestigeis often consider one ofChristopher Nolan ’s good picture show , especially as an original work outdoors of hisDark Knighttrilogy . Because of the proximity in release dates betweenThe IllusionistandThe Prestige , there was a natural rivalry that emerged between the two films , which were both menstruation piece about magicians . The Prestigewas released on October 20 , 2006 and grossed $ 109 million worldwide against a yield budget of $ 40 million . On the other hand , The Illusionistwas released on August 18 , 2006 and grossed roughly $ 88 million against a yield budget of $ 16.5 million .
Interestingly , both 2006 magician motion picture were critically acclaimed box office hitsthat were nominated for Best Cinematography Oscars in the same class . While there was initial speculation and argument surrounding which 2006 magician moving-picture show was good , it ’s laborious to vie with a Christopher Nolan film , especially one with the leading gift of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman , which remain to this day their only onscreen collaboration . While Edward Norton is splendid per usual inThe Illusionistin one of his famous performances before take on the part of Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk , The Prestigeis better in several areas .
The Prestige ’s end is packed to the brim with twist and turn . Here ’s a breakdown of everything that bump in the moving-picture show ’s ending .
How The Illusionist & The Prestige’s Critical Reception Compares
The Prestige earned a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes
BothThe PrestigeandThe Illusionistreceived positive reviews from critic . Roger Ebertsaid ofThe Prestige , " It ’s quite a film – atmospherical , obsessive , almost diabolic . " Peter Travers ofRolling Stonewrote in his inspection ofThe Prestige , " There are neat tricks galore up the sumptuous arm of this offbeat and wildly entertaining thriller . " Ty Burr ofThe Boston Globewrote , " This is grand , half - crazy fun , and Jackman and Bale are committed to their parts : Genuine fury flicker in their eyes . " Conversely , Ben Walters ofTime Outnoted , " Not only does it narrate you how it ’s all done , it takes so long about it that you ’ve got fourth dimension to look up its sleeves and wreak it out for yourself . "
The Illusionistwas rated slightly lower thanThe Prestigeby top critic . Richard Corliss ofTime Magazinewrote in his review forThe Illusionist , " By the end , the canniest viewer may not be fooled , but – and you may believe this – they may be bewitch . " Dana Stevens ofSlatewrote , " It ’s an exquisitely craft catamenia painting that keep promising more and more as it goes along – smart ideas , fertile themes , spooky secret plan spin – and keep delivering on every promise , correctly up until the rug - pull and overly hasty terminal chronological succession . " Joanne Kaufman ofThe Wall Street Journalwrote in her icky review , " The ludicrous climax , full of run - that - by - me - again flashbacks cede at Keystone - fuzz fastness – oh , if only he could make that disappear . "
I am sad that despite having huge potential to become a vital and commercial hit , a Christopher Nolan movie never picture the ignitor of the day .
Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury
The Illusionist & The Prestige’s Box Office Comparison: Which Performed Better?
The Prestige beat out The Illusionist in just about every comparable metric
The Prestigebeat outThe Illusionistin just about every corresponding metric , particularly in its total box berth gross and its critical acclaim . The Prestigebecame the 57th highest - gross film of 2006whileThe Illusionistwas the 76th highest - gross film of the class , domestically . Disney , which producedThe Prestige , had a fantastic year at the 2006 box function , make the top two spots of the year in domesticated markets with the $ 423 million everlasting ofPirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man ’s Chestand the $ 244 million gross ofCars . The Illusionistultimately was a smaller production thanThe Prestigebut still realise box office succeeder and vital acclaim .
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Cast
Written and conduct by Christopher Nolan , The Prestige follows the lives of two stage magician in Victorian London . Once workfellow , Robert Angier and Alfred Borden become hat rivals after a tragedy involving Angier ’s wife pluck them apart . The two magicians each go on to have their own lives and calling while competing to see who can pull off a seemingly unimaginable teleportation caper . Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Angier and Borden .
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, The Prestige follows the lives of two stage magicians in Victorian London. Once colleagues, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden become hated rivals after a tragedy involving Angier’s wife tears them apart. The two magicians each go on to have their own lives and careers while competing to see who can pull off a seemingly impossible teleportation trick. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Angier and Borden.
