great magic film

Similar in theme to the Illusionist, I found Prestige great, awesome acting by Bale, yet can't list this movie as a clear favorite because of one problem: for a mystery, it's way too predictable. I figured out Bale's secret about half way thru the film, so the 2nd half of the movie with all the build up and suspense to reveal the 'secret', well, it was just way too obvious, and it did end up being obvious. and then Jackman's magic, well, it borders way too much into fantasy sci-fi. bottom line is story feels way too forced.

Overall, I recommend it as its a good watch, worth price of admission, worth a rental or even a DVD purchase, but if you want a real magic/mystery story, with a completely stunning twist at the end, see the Illusionist instead.

p.s. what really irks me is that since everything seemed too obvious, i started assuming a major twist would occur with Scarlett's character, and perhaps she's involved in some way with both 'secrets', but instead, her character just stopped being on screen during the last 20 minutes of the film. what a letdown. she seemed like such a pivotal role, and then, nothing, almost like she got fired off the set.

7/10