The Illusionist (2006)

I liked the moody feel -- but not the almost cartoonish portrayal of the crown prince/villain. He was so predictably ridiculous in his superiority that it was almost too easy to see that the illusions were created for his benefit.

I also did not much care for the fact that there is still magic unexplained. The delight of the superior movie "The Prestige" is that the puzzling bits are revealed at the end and it all makes sense. In this one, the police chief (impossibly) figures out what was done but the HOW -- the giant HOW -- is dismissed, something I'm assuming his inquisitive nature wouldn't allow.

So, it's got a nice vibe but a disappointing ending, and that costs it a letter grade.

C+