Critical Reception and Legacy (The Prestige) The Prestige
Critics praised the ambition but split on the ending
The Prestige opened to generally positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 77% approval rating based on 206 reviews, with a critics' consensus of "Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is a dazzling period piece that never stops challenging the audience." Metacritic assigned 66/100 based on 36 critics. CinemaScore audiences gave it a B grade. (rottentomatoes, metacritic)
The division among critics fell along a specific fault line: whether the Tesla machine's introduction of science fiction into a period mystery was a brilliant escalation or a betrayal of the film's own rules.
Claudia Puig called it one of the decade's most innovative films
"The Prestige is wonderfully engrossing, darkly mysterious and entertaining from start to finish... one of the most innovative, twisting, turning art films of the past decade." — Claudia Puig, USA Today (2006) (wikipedia)
Philip French compared the rivalry to Mozart and Salieri
French of The Observer placed the film in the tradition of rivalry narratives, comparing Angier and Borden to the central pairing in Amadeus -- one with natural genius, the other with ambition and resources. The comparison captures the film's refusal to assign moral clarity to either side. (wikipedia)
MaryAnn Johanson praised the film's pulpy intelligence
"A fan-fuckin'-tastic popcorn flick that's as smart as it is shifty." — MaryAnn Johanson, FlickFilosopher (2006)
Johanson described the film as having "the texture of some lost Alan Moore graphic novel" and praised the Nolan brothers' script for "bouncing back and forth in time, teasing us with snippets of information doled out slowly in a way that's wonderfully agonizing."
Todd Gilchrist praised the performances and structural density
"Dense and sophisticated." — Todd Gilchrist, IGN (2006) (wikipedia)
Gilchrist commended Nolan for making "this complex story as easily understandable and effective as he made the outwardly straightforward comic book adaptation," praising Jackman and Bale's performances as anchoring the film's elaborate structure.
Roger Ebert gave three stars but called the ending a cheat
Ebert described the film as "atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic" but gave it three out of four stars, finding the ending a "fundamental flaw." His objection centered on the Tesla machine: the film establishes rules of Victorian-era stage magic and then introduces a device that renders those rules irrelevant. Ebert felt this constituted a "cheat" -- the film's puzzle had changed its own answer key. (wikipedia)
Dennis Harvey of Variety called it gimmicky
"Christopher Nolan's plush period mystery goes from middling to messy." — Dennis Harvey, Variety (2006)
Harvey criticized the film's "confusing denouement" and felt the cast was doing strong work in underwritten roles. He predicted word-of-mouth would struggle to sustain the film after its initial marketing appeal faded. (variety)
Kirk Honeycutt found the characters too thin
Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter felt the characters "are little more than sketches" whose personalities extended no further than their obsessions. He praised David Bowie's Tesla, the production values, and Wally Pfister's cinematography, but found the emotional core insufficient to sustain the narrative's complexity. (wikipedia)
A.O. Scott described it as an elaborate machine for diversion
Scott of The New York Times called the film "an intricate and elaborate machine designed for the simple purpose of diversion," noting it was "stuffed with hard-working actors, sleek effects and stagy period details." On At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper, Scott and Richard Roeper gave the film two thumbs up. (wikipedia)
Emanuel Levy identified the suspension-of-disbelief divide
"Whether viewers perceive The Prestige as intricately complex or just unnecessarily complicated would depend... on their willingness to suspend disbelief." — Emanuel Levy (2006) (wikipedia)
The film's reputation has grown substantially since release
The initial mixed-to-positive reception has given way to a broad critical consensus that The Prestige is among Nolan's best work. Major retrospective recognitions include:
- The A.V. Club named it one of the best films of the 2000s (2009).
- American Cinematographer ranked it 36th among the best-shot films from 1998-2008, based on over 17,000 voters.
- Empire included it among the 100 greatest 21st-century films (2020).
- Writers Guild of America members ranked the screenplay 82nd among the 101 greatest screenplays of the 21st century (2021).
Box office
The film opened at number one in the United States with $14.8 million. Domestic gross reached $53.1 million; worldwide gross was approximately $109.7 million against a $40 million budget. (wikipedia)
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | Best Art Direction (Nathan Crowley, Julie Ochipinti) | Nominated |
| Academy Award | Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister) | Nominated |
| Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form | Nominated |
| Saturn Award | Best Science Fiction Film | Nominated |
| Saturn Award | Best Costume Design | Nominated |