The Prestige is a 2006 thriller written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan and directed by Christopher Nolan. The movie stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, David Bowie, and Andy Serkis. It is one of Christopher Nolan's lesser-known and less popular films (despite all the A-List actors in the movie), yet one of his best. It was made between the first two movies in Nolan's Batman trilogy. Nolan is known for working with many of the same actors in his movies, and this one, of course, includes Bale and Caine. The movie is, at its heart, a story of a rivalry between two magicians in the Victorian era (played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale). Thrown in is a bit of the Tesla/Edison rivalry, a revenge tale, lost love, and frankly just some general weirdness.
The Blu-ray release is just a single disc with the movie and the extras on it. The A/V quality is outstanding, and it was a reference-quality disc when the movie was released on physical media. The extras include about 20 minutes worth of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, a few scenes that highlight the high-definition aspect of the Blu-ray, and various artwork. What was included is good, but there are not a ton of extras. It is hard to say too much about the movie without giving away too much of the story, but like many of his non-Batman movies, there are some blink-and-you-will-miss-it moments in this one, points where you are wondering exactly what is going on or where the story is going. Unlike Inception, however, which is left kind of open-ended, this story gets pretty well wrapped up by the end. Ultimately, the movie tells a unique story, and probably not everyone's "cup of tea." If, however, you are generally a fan of Nolan and/or the various actors involved then it is definitely worth checking out.
