Enigma, far from being as tedious and pretentious as its title might suggest, is just Derren Brown’s equivalent of a Paul Daniels magic show. Recorded on tour at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2010 and broadcast on Channel 4 last year, it makes for more entertaining viewing than most of Brown’s television specials.
The first 20 minutes or so are the most enjoyable. Brown kicks things off lightheartedly, even if this means mocking the appearances of audience members in the style of, say, Frankie Boyle, which doesn’t quite suit him. He constantly draws attention to the fact that his act is founded on illusion and psychology, and when an early trick goes wrong (intentionally? who knows), he’s quick to poke fun at himself engagingly.
After this, Brown gets a little more serious, as he delves into history and emotional personal anecdotes to illustrate people’s insatiable fascination with mystery. From here, he launches into more ambitious tricks, going for the sober, ‘hushed gasp’ reaction from the audience rather than laughter and clapping as before. It’s not bad, but the emotional element feels sickly and manipulative, and some of the tricks do stretch credibility rather too far – during a particularly preposterous sequence in which Brown allegedly places some audience members into a trance, other, unaffected audience members can be seen pissing themselves with laughter in the corners of the screen.
At the show’s close, Brown himself requests that members of the press, in particular reviewers, do not reveal the contents of the show and spoil its secrets – a reasonable request given that the show is founded on mystery, smoke and mirrors. I won’t go any further into the illusions themselves; instead, it’s worth mentioning how well they transfer to DVD.
Any kind of show designed for live performance loses some of its impact when viewed at home. Since Brown is an illusionist who places so much emphasis on the power of suggestion, the loss of mood, atmosphere and energy on DVD are quite fundamental disadvantages. Still, Brown performs with enough wit and showmanship to makes this watchable and fun for those who weren’t there. (No extras though.)
Overall Verdict: For Brown, a relatively modest affair. Fans of old-fashioned magic shows will like it, and I’d take it over ‘Russian Roulette Live’ or ‘Hero at 30,000 Feet’ any day.
Special Features:
None
Reviewer: Tom René