Closet Sci-Fi Geek

The Illusionist

The Illusionist is not really a sci-fi tale, but it gets honorable mention here for the magical qualities that inevitably will appear in a movie about a magician. This is a terrific film with a top-notch cast featuring Ed Norton and Paul Giamatti (who first caught my notice in his fantastic performance in Lady in the Water).

The story is a classic one of love and fate: The magician is from a poor family; his love is a wealthy duchess destined to be married off to the evil prince. Along the way we see feats of magic that beg us to question what is real and what isn’t.

The movie leads up to a terrific ending, one that provides an incredibly satisfying feeling. Still, there are some questions afterwards (some of what is shown stretches credulity).

The film had gotten terrific responses at various film festivals and is definitely worth seeing if you are into magic.