Okay – I have been a critic of Criss Angel ever since I heard about him 2 years ago. I have been living in Germany so I never saw his television show, Mindfreak, and I only saw his performances as short clips on the internet and photos on his website. I have heard many scream “Camera Tricksâ€

I agree 100% with what you said, while he may use camera tricks and stooges, he is still very entertaining and is brining a lot of exposure to magic.

Well first, because of your position and knowledge of magic, I don't think anyone will dare bash you And I don't think there are many people on here who's idol as a magician is Angel anyway. You have a good point that no one can argue with really, because even if people hate Criss or love it, they're still tempted to flip the channel to Mindfreak every once in a while, because it's entertaining.

I like your post and agree. I'm excited to watch Mindfreak every Wednesday so I can be entertained, not to figure out who's stooges or when the camera cuts, or when he palms something, and not to come and spew crap about him the next day. I watch him to be entertained.



I don't mind when this happens. Laypeople mentioning Angel to me says "Hey, I'm interested in magic enough to watch it on TV when football is on!". If people ask me to do something like Criss, I see oppuortunity for a funny response.

"Can you levitate like Criss Angel?"
"If I could honestly do that, do you really think I'd be going to this public school, making a dinky little handkercheif dissappear?"

The only thing I don't like is kids hating on David Blaine because he doesn't do as big of illusions as Criss does frequently. I guess I can't blame them though, because after all, Criss is better entertainment

I have to agree with most of what you said. Criss is a good entertainer. He knows how to make things seem more dangerous then they really are. And he knows how to somewhat act. He plays his character very well. I watch him because it's magic, and I like watching magic. However, I think he takes things too far, for example his Halloween episode, where he did a seance. I've said this before, but that was the point that I lost all respect for him.

His show may be just for entertainment, but it crosses a line, because people believe it's real. That's not his fault, for the most part. But when he doesn't take this into consideration, and performs something like a seance, it makes people believe in something that they shouldn't. Magicians know that he was using trickery, lay people don't.

So even though I agree mostly with what you said, I have to say Criss does cross a line.

I think Angel crosses a line with his edits though because he presents them as if it is something he can really do right in front of you. Like his building to building levitation, he says before that he won't do a demonstration if he cannot perform it live, but then he levitates from one building to another, which is something he can't replicate live, at least not using the same method. So I feel like thats a lie to use camera edits just to be using them. If he has methods for his camera tricks in real life, and decides to do a camera trick version for television because he is afraid of the method being exposed, then I don't have a problem with that. But if thats not the case, I think its like lying to your audience.

I also had a problem with his halloween episode because I think its morally wrong to say or imply that things like ghosts and phsychics are real.

However I agree the show is entertaining but at times annoying to me lol. You should get the first season though I think, it was a lot better and a lot more realistic. I think he could actually perform the majority of the first season live. I liked it, but then he had to keep pushing it until he passed what he can actually do I think.

I just watched “Celebrity Séanceâ€

I agree, he used the fact that many people fall for that stuff to his advantage to get ratings, which means cash, or at least thats my opinion.

I can't help but agree with everything said here. Angel does indeed perform for his audience, but is he setting the bar too high for others who perform live?
Granted, the world of magic has evolved so much because of people like Blaine, Angel and others like them. I often wonder what some of the Old Masters would think of today's gaffs; if Houdini could make the Statue of Liberty disappear would he even be bothered with handcuffs?
Raising the bar is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's within reason.
After seeing Criss Angel levitate from one building to the next, my 10 year old son was trying to devise a way that it could be done. I'm sure someone will eventually come up with a way that it could be performed before a more live audience than it was and then it will become like biting a quarter.



Kraynik - I love it and will be using it

Yes, because Houdini's handcuff act to me in more impressive than Angel floating from building to building on TV any day.

[quote="Wildheart"]
The whole thing was a gag. He had done a show in the same season, “Suckerâ€

I just watched "Superhuman"... that made my level of respect for Criss drop by 110%.

I am 170lbs and I've deadlifted many vehicles... this feat is not worthy of TV, let alone the core of an episode. Deadlifting is an art and the most intense physical movement known to man, I really respect his dedication to achieve the large posterior chain strength required to deadlift vehicle... but to advertise it as "Superhuman" and something unique is disrepect to all strongmen around the world.

I know many 15 and 16 year olds that can deadlift vehicles.

That just what i thought when i saw this. The World Strongest Man comp is full of events like this 'superhuman' stunt, i thought that he could have come up with somthing a bit more 'superhuman' than this, maybe he just wanted to show off how strong he is!

The WSM events are a 100x more challenging then this strength test, Criss' "Superhuman" stunt is a blip on the radar.

He also deadlifted a car, with a GOOD grip at the easiest end of the car.

I'll ask Titani to send me a picture of her FLIPPING a car... that's right, a woman, lighter then Criss, can completely flip a family sedan from the side (which is 10x harder then at the front).

"Superhuman" indeed Criss.