Christopher Nolan typically gives up a lot of good material in the bonus features for his movies. I think his commentaries on Following, Memento & Insomnia are must-listens for people interested in the craft of film. And starting with Batman Begins, the behind-the-scenes footage really started going off the charts. By the time you get to Dunkirk, the behind-the-scenes documentary is as long as the movie and only somewhat less awe-inspiring. But for The Prestige, a movie that I myself as a viewer could probably talk about for two hours without stopping, we get this paltry twenty-minute bonus feature that tries to cover the entire production of the movie, from costumes to set design to acting, and the adaptation process from the novel AND the real story of Nikola Tesla. I mean, it’s pretty clear to me that Nolan really doesn’t want to talk about this movie that much and I think it’s probably for the same reason that I think I’d like to hear him talk about it more than any of his others: it’s just got the most going on in terms of sheer volume. And Nolan wants the viewer to figure it out themselves, which I respect. But honestly, they might as well have done nothing as to do this mediocre little puffpiece. 1 star.
tl;dr – completely forgettable, superficial & rushed bonus feature reveals that Nolan wants the audience to do their own work on this movie; I can respect that, but why not do nothing? 1 star.