 The Prestige received largely positive reviews from film critics . Rotten Tomatoes reported that 76 % of critics gave the film positive reviews , with an average score of 7 @.@ 1 / 10 , based upon a sample of 179 reviews . At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics , the film received an average score of 66 , based on 36 reviews . Claudia Puig of USA Today described the film as " one of the most innovative , twisting , turning art films of the past decade . " Drew McWeeny gave the film a glowing review , saying it demands repeat viewing , with Peter Travers of Rolling Stone agreeing . Richard Roeper and guest critic A.O. Scott gave the film a " two thumbs up " rating . Todd Gilchrist of IGN applauded the performances of Bale and Jackman whilst praising Nolan for making " this complex story as easily understandable and effective as he made the outwardly straightforward comic book adaptation ( Batman Begins ) dense and sophisticated ... any truly great performance is almost as much showmanship as it is actual talent , and Nolan possesses both in spades . " CNN.com and Village Voice film critic Tom Charity listed it amongst his best films of 2006 . Philip French of The Observer recommended the film , comparing the rivalry between the two main characters to that of Mozart and Salieri in the highly acclaimed Amadeus . 
