One Word Review: The Illusionist

Magical?  May Contain SPOILERS


The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) though charming to watch was something less than what I had expected after the critical acclaim that it received when it was released in 2010. This animated film is about The Illusionist and his struggle to find work as a magician in the 1950's a time when Rock and Roll and the television are taking over the entertainment arena. That being said The Illusionist spends the entire film trying to find work, all while convincing the young Alice that magic is real... only to tell her in the end after he abandons her, sells his hat and wand, and leaves his rabbit for the wolves (possibly a slight over exaggeration) that "Magic Does Not Exist."


The animation in this film is beautiful but is hard to appreciate behind the rushed and confusing story, as well as the foreign language that I am 99% sure no one on the earth would be able to understand.


If you do see this film see it for the animation and the beauty of what is visually detectable on screen and leave aside your desire for a story that is fully comprehensible.