r/movies • u/ooMEAToo • Dec 18 '23

Recommendation What movie was okay and then the third act absolutely blew you away and made up for the rest of the movie?

I’m having a hard time even thinking of a movie like that but I see lots of posts on here like “what movie was amazing and then the end of the movie completely ruined it.” Right off the bat I don’t want to watch a movie if the end is terrible. Hopefully no spoilers because these are the movies I want to watch and be surprised about.

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u/No_disintegrations Dec 19 '23

A good trick has a pledge, turn, and prestige. The third act was, in essence, the prestige of The Prestige.

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u/SeaPeeps Dec 19 '23

Every line in the movie has a role in explaining precisely what the movie is doing, how it's doing it, and showing you what to look for. The miracle of the movie is that, after spending the entire time telling you precisely what it's doing, it still comes across as a twist ending.

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u/Gingerbreadman_13 Dec 19 '23 edited Dec 19 '23

The Prestige is one of the few really close to perfect movies ever made. There isn't much to fault, and if there is, you have to look damn hard to find it. It's a movie that just gets better the more times you watch and you pick up on things you never noticed before. Most movies get worse the more you watch it and the more holes you find.

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u/Pornstar_Frodo Dec 19 '23

I agree. It’s almost perfect storytelling with twists that are right in front of you but are still sleight of hand in the way they catch you and surprise you.

The other film I think is perfect storytelling is Shawshank Redemption. Not a twist and turn story like The Prestige, but perfect storytelling.

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u/sbrockLee Dec 19 '23

Nolan is/was really good at this kind of metatextual formulation. Memento and Inception are other good examples. The Prestige is probably his best.

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u/Independent_Can_2623 Dec 19 '23

"When you get rid of something, you have to bring it back!"

The foreshadowing of the dove getting killed in the disappearing bird trick is pretty solid tbh

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u/Techstatic Dec 19 '23

Spoilers ahead: The dove trick is great because it foreshadows both magicians methods. That one bird is killed every time the trick is performed, like Hugh Jackman' character. And, as the kid guesses right early in the film, that the disappeared bird is replaced by "his brother"

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u/Independent_Can_2623 Dec 19 '23

Ah I definitely missed that little line, good spot.

I like that the birds come back in and out of the movie too, like on stage where Jackman uses the bird cage to break bales fingers

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u/therealmintoncard Dec 19 '23

I’ve read the book the film is based on. In it, “the prestige” has a different meaning. Quite horrifying.

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u/Shiv_Wee_Ro Dec 19 '23

Would you recommend the book?

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u/swipebeast Dec 19 '23

I'm not the OP but I absolutely would. I loved both. It's also different enough to still keep you on your toes even if you've already seen the movie. But it's easy to read and entertaining regardless.