From start to finish each frame was used to progress the story. The theme being three different acts of a magic trick; The Pledge, the Turn and the Prestige. The film uses every tool at their disposal to weave this theme into the actual storytelling, from the cinematography, editing, dialogue and finally in each performance from the main cast. This heavily layered technique requires multiple viewings to see just how incredibly layered it is from the first frame to the last and was executed beautifully by Christopher Nolan. The repeat viewing reminds me of why Fight Club was such an incredible film. Some of the clues to the prestige are woven in so seamlessly that unless your aware of particular hints from the directors personal style of character introduction they probably go unnoticed, which only makes those who are 'in the know' more impressed by it. The acting is superb on every level, with beautiful cinematography, incredibly realistic set design and costuming, mixed with actual events in history (although some were not entirely accurate regarding Alley's character played by Andy Serkis, but they were making a story after all, so a little suspended belief is okay.)
Mainly, the argument can be made that as far as making a perfect movie goes, this certainly should be considered a top contender. Perfect in the sense that while it's not necessarily anyone's personal favorite, Its still about as perfect a movie that has ever been made. Kudos to every professional who was involved because the quality of the finished product is simply impressive.