Perhaps the most surprising release of the year, The Illusionist is an exciting, enthralling mystery filled with romance, humor and stellar performances. A great cast, headlined by Edward Norton, grounds this period film about a famed magician. What results is a simple but incredibly effective film that keeps the audience guessing until the end.

Bob Yari Productions, in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, have released a fairly standard DVD to accompany one of the dark horse successes of the year. Well reviewed and well received at the box office, The Illusionist is a film that is primed to succeed on DVD, despite its fairly underwhelming DVD release.

THE MOVIE
Eisenheim (Norton) the magician is sweeping the streets of Vienna by storm. Marvelous magical acts, coupled with bemused spectators, soon make Eisenheim a challenge to the monarchy in power. Visiting the show to view his potential rival, Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) is accompanied by his fiancé Sophie (Jessica Biel). When Sophie becomes part of Eisenheim’s act, they reform a connection they both shared as children. Soon the two become romantically linked, rediscovering the love that gripped their childhood.

Obsessed with stopping Eisenheim’s magical acts, fearful for the affect it would do to his rule and his relationship, Crown Prince Leopold enlists the aide of Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti). Uhl searches for secrets in Eisenheim’s past and his magic, hoping to discover just how to stop the magician and his influence over the public. In a glorious game of cat and mouse, Uhl and Eisenheim swap positions time and again, trying to catch the other in a secret, or evade the other’s reasoning skills. Paramount to this intriguing relationship, which is the core of the film, is respect.

This respect is something that one can’t help but feel toward writer/director Neil Burger and his crew. What seemed to be an unwieldy magical journey becomes an emotionally arresting film. Emotional fuels this classical battle of wits, resulting in some truly memorable moments, including a fantastic concluding montage that sheds light on the films happenings. Nothing is as it seems, but unlike the other magician movie, The Prestige, The Illusionist does not resort to mere trickery or magic. Instead, there is simply emotion driving the story.

The fantastic performances from the principle cast really help sustain the emotion of this perplexing romance mystery. While Jessica Biel has not been the choice actress for a period piece, she nicely captures the right tone for the film. Rufus Sewell is thoroughly entertaining as Crown Prince Leopold. He seems to have fun partaking the role of the villain, but never allows Leopold to remain simply a one note character. The true stars of this film are Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton. Norton and Giamatti are frequently praised for their work, but to see each go up against each other on screen is electrifying. They both give incredibly layered performances that make it difficult for the audience to side with one or the other. While Eisenheim is mysterious, he is sincere and while Inspector Uhl is working for a less than kind man, he is also deeply respectful and full of pride. These two performances sizzle and result in a surprisingly powerful film that could be considered among the best of the year. If you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect opportunity to experience The Illusionist.

AUDIO & VISUAL
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have done an admirable job with the transfer of The Illusionist. Presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, 20th Century Fox has nicely maintained the visual scope and splendor of the film. The older Vienna and the rich images of mystical magic are nicely preserved for the small screen. Although the cinematography is not groundbreaking, there are some beautiful shots that are nicely preserved in this strong transfer.

The audio is also strong. Although nothing special, the Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound is sharp and clear. The channels are all nice and distinct, the music balanced just right. While not as immersive as a theatrical viewing, this is a good home theater experience.

PACKAGING & LAYOUT
In a simple amaray case with a slip sleeve, The Illusionist looks like nothing special. But what is special is the attractive cover art. A remixed version of the original theatrical poster, this is a striking visual image that is sure to stand out on the shelf. For a look at the original theatrical poster, simply check out the disc art itself.

The DVD menus are also nice and simple. Attractive visuals from the movie are housed in a slightly corny crystal ball that seems a bit too over the top for the film. While it fits, especially within the motif of the packaging, one can’t help but wish that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment would have decided for a more mysterious, classy DVD menu.

SPECIAL FEATURES
This is the most disappointing aspect of the DVD. Although the special features are competent, their inclusion is merely for show. The two featurettes are simply short, unentertaining and repetitive EPK videos. While the commentary is a cut above standard tracks, it is not strong enough to raise the overall level of the special features. One would have hoped that a slightly more immersive collection of shooting footage could have been assembled.

• The Making of The Illusionist Featurette – Containing a couple of brief behind the scene shots, this does not really cover anything revolutionary about the filming of The Illusionist. While one can get a kick out of watching Edward Norton practice magic tricks, the interviews intercut with the footage are simply repetitive, uninteresting promotional interviews. A disappointment.
• Jessica Biel on The Illusionist Featurette – Even more disappointing than the first featurette, this is simply a short editing of different Jessica Biel promotional interviews discussing production. This is a simple EPK that just promotes the film and does not do anything to enhance the DVD release.
• Feature Commentary by Director/Writer Neil Burger - Burger is a fairly strong, well versed writer/director that obviously loves the material. Discussing adaptation, acting, production and all else in between, Burger frequently talks throughout this commentary track. For only one participant there is surprisingly little downtime. Yet, Burger never overloads the audience, he is nicely paced with his comments, even introducing some fun anecdotes along the way. A strong commentary track, but this isn’t enough to make up for the poor featurettes.
• Theatrical Trailer- Enough Said.

FINAL THOUGHTS
A surprisingly strong film, The Illusionist was one of the darkhorses that defined the 2006 film year. Although not a massive sensation, the audience embraced this wonderful story that pretty much appeals to all audiences. The perfect kind of film to watch at home, the lack of engaging special features, and overall lackluster release means that this disc is only really meant for the fans of the film or those who just love magicians. But don’t let the lackluster DVD release stop you from seeing The Illusionist. This is a gem that should be watched by many.

Overall Film Grade: A-
Overall Audio & Visual Grade: A-
Overall Packaging & Layout Grade: B
Overall Special Features Grade: C+
Overall DVD Grade: B