Criss Angel Mindfreak

I caught this show on cable a couple of years ago. My first impression was that this was a cutting edge attempt at marketing to the Generatin X and Y audience. The host, and creator of the program is a Goth-Emo looking guy adorned with beads, piercings and grunge clothing. With his thick New York accent, Criss Angel markets himself as a magician to be reckoned with while incorporating his view and cursory knowledge of phenomonen and ESP.

The show is entertaining from a viewers initial perspective, but after closer review and attention one can see that he uses every cheap marketing ploy to buffer his image as a suave, sullen and mysterious being exuding wisdom, power and charisma. A once aspiring Rock musician, Angel sings his own cover theme song, "Mindfreak", which sends excruciatingly gnawing vibes to my ears. Angel doesn't even stop there. He intersperses his show with paid actors and extras expressing testimony to his awe-inspiring performances. Editing tricks, jumpcuts and cutaways are heavily utilized to bring credibility to these fantastic stunts, feats and backyard tricks.

It's like watching a campaign for a person running for office. About 60% of the show is dedicated to people, including Angel's family members, reacting to his stunts and expressing how ingeneous and gifted a soul he is. I know the paid actors cannot be rumors, because normally unbiased onlookers would show more indifference. Criss Angel may be a creditable magician, but he lacks an underlying charm. He comes across as sullen, arrogant and egocentric. Who else would dedicate 20% of their program employing a bevy of pretty girls as female admirers. This is narcissism at its most salient form. Criss Angel is undoubtedly a culprit of this. Magic should speak for itself. A true craftsman shouldn't rely on phony testimonials from people.

What really ignites my skepticism is that Angel delves into other areas outside of Magic. He claims to be an authority on every subject rather than a humble student of the arts and disciplines.

Criss Angel had his butt handed to him after receiving abysmal reviews of his new show, "Believe", which described the Vegas strip show as nothing short of atrocious.

I believe Criss Angel is worth watching. He is very charismatic and entertaining and his illusions are wonderful. Keep in mind as you watch, he is an illusionist and self-proclaimed provocateur. He is performing solely to entertain you and push himself to and beyond his own limitations. Finally, there is a show out there that can transport me to a time in my life where anything was possible. Naturally, the things he does(minus the stunts) are all pure illusion. Tell me, though, in this world of harsh, stark reality, isn't it nice to be "magically" entertained ? I live enough reality, I don't need to watch it on TV. I look forward to escaping for 30 minutes at a time with this HOT man who, incidentally, is my age.

The most magical thing about this show is that anyone takes it serious. The tricks aren't interesting, the acting is terrible, and the so called "reality" part of it is so silly. It's all so overly dramatic. Watch Angel and his nerdy minions create; overly dramatic spectacles and half baked, childish, schemes. Truly cringe worthy.

The first time I saw this show, I said "wow, this guy is amazing." Then I realized that anyone with a video camera can do magic tricks. Don't get me wrong, this show is worth watching for the entertainment factor. Just remember that nobody can defy the laws of gravity, no matter how convincing he is. I would like to go see one of his shows live. He seems like a very good entertainer. However, when he says that he will leave something in one spot and then the camera cuts to a different angle, it makes you wonder if they touched anything. The reactions from the spectators often seem authentic, but for all we know they could be straight out of acting school. They all seem to be the same age. Plus the show is filmed in Vegas so who knows what kind of people they have there.

I'm no expert on the subject of "magic," but I believe the term "smoke and mirrors" goes back to the 1800's and perhaps a lot farther.

If you watch, say, David Copperfield, whether live or on television special (I've seen him in both), there still is a lot of "smoke," undoubtedly mirrors as well - and the state-of-the-art in the manufacture and use of these today would be far advanced from earlier times. You know the huge spinning saw blade isn't going to cut through him, but it looks like it does. We know this is an "illusion," and the practitioners in this area of show business use this term themselves, including Mr. Angel.

There's some video on-line, purportedly produced by Criss himself, indicating the levitation technique. And while one program showed him levitating high above the ground, from one Las Vegas building to another, he still takes the elevator and stairs to his suite, steps onto and off of his RV, etc.

Whatever, I enjoy his programs - the prolonged séance scene wasn't that entertaining, and (for me) some of his more extravagant bits (e.g. from the boat) are my less-favorite.

I enjoy most some of his bits with cards, jewelry, other personal items, and some of the bits levitating others - especially when done on a crowded street, restaurant, etc. How did he not only toss a deck of cards from the sidewalk, with his subject's card then appearing stuck to the adjacent plate glass restaurant window (ON THE INSIDE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLASS, YET)?? Hell, I don't know, but that's the whole idea and I enjoyed it.

Some suggest the use of confederates from the "bystanders," and some camera trickery. This thought has crossed my mind sometimes, and some people's reactions and patter, and some occasional camera shots suggest this. But many observers are youngsters, ordinary street folk, and others, where, for a variety of reasons, it doesn't seem they could be "acting." A lot of it is simply great sleight-of-hand. And we know misdirection is usually involved, expertly, at some point(s).

I've spent a lot of prolonged time in Spain on business, and have seen a man there who does CLOSE-UP magic, standing by a table with patrons seated there, and he does it WITH ONE HAND ONLY. Colleagues of mine have seen him live, and been participants, and none can deduce how he does what he does.

Angel's interlocking a couple's wedding rings at a dinner table in a Vegas restaurant, having an older lady's ring reappear within an ice cube, and before a large crowd in a mall, throw a deck of cards scattered on the floor, and then having the "selected card" rise from the pile, were all entertaining bits.

His sleight-of-hand is superb, and his demeanor is entertaining.

Does he possess truly "magical powers?" I doubt it. But, who cares? It's an entertaining half-hour, and watching 2/3/4 of his episodes back-to-back is entertaining, and doesn't seem "over-long," if you have the time.

Finally, where physical prowess is needed, this man's superb conditioning is admirable and fascinating to see, too.

Just enjoy his talent and quirky, likable persona. A good program.