Ever since I was a little kid, I've been fascinated with magic. Growing up, becoming a magician was right there on the list along with juggler, puppeteer, special effects artist, actor and stuntman. I learned a few magic tricks, worked puppets, juggled and performed in tons of plays, but never really got good enough to turn any of them into a career. The closest I came was working for several years as an effects artist for a local haunted attraction. Stuntman was completely out of the question because it turned out that I had a fear of just about everything from heights to speeding cars. So instead I write about them all. But getting back to magic, I used to buy every magic book I could find (this was way before the internet reared its ugly, yet helpful, head) and poured over them until I knew everything there was to know about Houdini and Blackstone (both Sr. and Jr.).

I watched every special on magic that aired and as the years went by my interest moved on to the likes of David Copperfield, whom I still consider to be one of the greatest living illusionists (and one heck of a showman). After that it seemed like the world of Magic began to change.

About 5 or 6 years ago, magic went back into the streets when performers like David Blaine and Criss Angel made the scene. Each had their own particular style, Blaine coming across more like a quiet shaman, while Angel took on the looks and attitude of your average rock star. What they both had in common was that their close-up illusions were done mostly outdoors and offered up to large audiences through the 'magic' of television. It was up to the viewer to decide if what they saw was exactly what was seen by the performer's 'victims' or if there was a little camera trickery involved. I preferred to think these guys were just really that good.

They also stretched their own boundaries by attempting stunts that would normally not be possible by the average human. Blaine's were presented in a series of specials a few years ago, while Angel had the opportunity to create a 'reality' series for A&E. The first season of the series, "Mindfreak" was recently released on DVD, which gave me my first opportunity to see just what this guy had to offer.

My first impression of Angel was that (as I mentioned before) he looked more like a rock star than a magician. But while is image elevated him above that of most mortals, his laid back attitude and Jersey boy made him seem more like your average best buddy from high school. But you can still tell that there is something a little different about him. Something about the look in his eye… well that and the fact that he goes to great lengths to let you see what great shape he's in (you know the type… open shirts and the like.

It seems the reason he keeps himself in such great shape, aside from the fact that it helps attract the ladies, is that along with performing his illusions he also attempts dangerous stunts that push the limits of the human condition. Most of the episodes are themed towards these stunts, such as "Burned Alive" where he sets himself on fire (obviously), "Levitation" in which he levitates (again obviously) and "Hellstromism", which is not quite so obvious….

Each of these episodes shows Angel going through the preparations for each stunt, but is also peppered with some of the street illusions that he performs. Admittedly as impressive as the big stunts are, the smaller illusions are what really draw me to this series. This isn’t to say that seeing Angel walk up and down the side of a building, lift the front end of a taxi or be suspended under a helicopter (a 1000 feet in the air) by his skin doesn’t blow the mind, but I tend to be more impressed by the smaller, more quiet feats.

The one that really got me was in the "Building Walk" episode. Angel does this great illusion where he gathers a small group of people in front of some guy's business. He spends several moments proving that the glass window in front of the building is completely solid. Then he has two of the observers hold up a large sheet of paper up against the glass and he goes inside. He then proceeds to push his finger through the glass and paper… then his hand…. his foot… and so on until he has completely crawled through the 'solid' glass window. You have to see it to believe it.

The 2-disc set also includes commentary by Angel on two of the episodes as well as a very illuminating interview. There are also three interactive Mindfreaks, where Angel guesses your card, a number you pick and a word taken from the dictionary. The second one was the only one that worked with me, but I'm going to try them on some of my friends and see what happens. It also seems that Angel has written a book describing how to do some of his illusions and if you insert the DVD into your computer, you can access a .pdf file of three of them.

All in all I was extremely impressed by Angel's abilities as an illusionist and aside from the MTV style of camera work that gives my eyes a workout, I thoroughly enjoyed the series.

Episodes:
Burned Alive
Levitation
Wine Barrel Escape
SUV Nail Bed
Body Suspension
Buried Alive
Hellstromism
Super Human
Building Walk
Blind Oasis
C4
Prediction
Chicken
Tesla Strike

Starring: Criss Angel
Extras: Commentary with Criss Angel on "Burned Alive" and "Body Suspension", Interactive Illusions Through Your Television Screen, Inside the Mind of Criss Angel - Interview, 3 MindFreaks - Criss Angel's Step by Step Guide to Creating Your Own Illusions, Photo Gallery, Bio
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: A&E
Release Date: 12/26/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Criss Angel Mindfreak: Season 1 an A.