Official Reviewer
Mar 10, 2023
Overview
Legacy by Finn Jon and Essential Magic Collection (EMC) is a four DVD set on the magic created and performed by Finn Jon. EMC is currently a library of 16 four DVD albums and numerous single DVD sets featuring some of the world’s top magicians. It is a lovely collection and I own all but one of the albums and several of the single sets. I like the premise of EMC and hope they come out with additional sets featuring other magicians. That being said, there are those that buy albums such as these just to watch because they may never have the chance to travel and see the magicians, or the magician has passed and are curious as to their performances, or finally, I believe in most cases, to learn how to perform the magic these individuals are known for. Since I believe most will buy the DVD to learn, the first and foremost criteria is, how watchable are the DVDs? As I said, I own most of the EMC sets but unfortunately I find this particular DVD excruciating to watch. I could not sit through the incredibly convoluted, backtracking stories, discontinuous explanations and out of date magic featured on this set.Effect
Finn Jon is noted mostly for his invention of The Loops which has been further popularized by Yigal Mesika. Loops are elastic threads which when utilized properly, can create tremendous telekinesis and levitation effects. However, loops aren’t the only thing in his arsenal. Featured on these discs is a potpourri of effects from thumb tips, to cards, soap bubbles, mentalism, chop cups and so much more.Method
The methods involved are standards throughout the trade and vary depending on the effect. What was new by him is old hat now. There is nothing groundbreaking on this DVD set.Product Quality
As with all EMC releases, the photography, lighting, editing and sound are all superb. Unfortunately, with all those being stellar, it still cannot compensate for the extreme difficulty in the way the performer chose to explain his tricks. The difficulty lies not in the fact that English could be his second language but is the extremely convoluted way he speaks and thinks. He starts a sentence, stops and starts another. Then he finishes the first sentence but leaves out the last word. As soon as he thinks he finishes his sentence he starts another but then goes back to the second sentence. What would take 3 minutes to explain takes him 10 minutes. This is one DVD set I did not enjoy watching in the least. Adding to the fact that the set was hard to sit through, the first DVD is his cabaret show which is to music, no speaking and primarily based around smoking cigars. I don’t know any magician nowadays that would make this his act or even want to learn how to perform with cigars. Ad Copy Integrity
Very little is said about the DVD set in the ad copy but extolls the virtues of Finn Jon which I’m sure are all true.Final Thoughts
If you had every other EMC album and wanted to complete your collection, then perhaps this will make you happy. However, for the tricks shown here there are more modern and up to date sources that are more palatable to sit through.
