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Product by name:
Review of Holy Grail by Jordan Johnson
By David Christopher
The Effect:
HOLY GRAIL is a visual advancement in the torn and restored card plot.
Devised by JORDAN JOHNSON, this effect will leave your audience staggering.
A deck of cards enters play. A spectator picks a card and signs it. The magician CLEARLY tears the card from top to bottom and then left to right.
The spectator HOLDS the four separate quarters. PIECE by PIECE they are taken by the magician and fully RESTORED right in front of the spectator's face!
Even the creases are VISUALLY removed.
It is 100% back together and the SPECTATOR'S signature is on the card. All the spectator can do is run away and scream. This is REAL magic.
Holy Grail can be done TOTALLY surrounded in a group or one-on-one.
Strong. Dynamic. In-Your-Face magic. Holy Grail.
I'm not a magician, can I do it?
YES. This is one of those effects that anyone who wants to do it, can do it. This effect is clearly an improvement from other methods on the market. And it requires little sleight of hand. You could manage to do it with no knowledge of card magic, but knowing a double lift and a few other simple moves will work to your benefit, you'll be up and running with your new effect sooner. Nothing you couldn't do if you practiced it a few times with a trusted friend. If you want to do it, you'll do it.
Will I use it?
YES. This method is simple, direct and the gimmick will last for several performances. For such a strong card magic effect I was surprised at it's simplicity and clever construction. You'd be rediculous to leave this one at home.
The instructional DVD is a little choppy. Though no information is lost or compromised, the videography leaves something to be desired. But... you don't watch an instructional DVD for production quality. You watch it for the method and notes from the creator of the effect. Jordan shows you the promo clip of the trick in action, though I could have used a little less special effect shine glare stuff. The clip shows you the basic effect in its entirety. He then teaches you how to make the gimmick needed for the effect. You then learn the basic performance of the trick step by step. Jordan covers the performance of the effect, the simple sleights used to switch the gimmick in and out, and he covers variations of the routine.
Is it better than other torn and restored card effects?
YES. Absolutely. In my humble opinion, and I speak through experience, this method is better. Some will disagree, but not many. This method is not as complicated as others I've worked with. There are no extra pieces, there's no real pocket management, and everything is out in the open, it's a single card from start to finish, and it takes 10 minutes to prep the gimmick.
Is it repeatable?
There's a saying,"Once is entertainment, twice is education." If enough time has passed since you did it last, and you have a different gimmicked card prepped for such an occasion, I give you a hesitant okay. Remember that less is more. Once per evening is what I would restrict myself to in a social situation. If your working a gig and table hopping or strolling... go for it! But if it's that situation where someone yells, "Ya'll gotta see this!" And you have repeat audience members... you run the risk of "Use a different card" or "Now I get it". All I'm saying is, think before you please.
Is it worth the price?
YES. You can get it for $24.20 here at New Magic Source. You'll get a lot of mileage out of this effect. Its a Tutorial DVD, you will learn the effect at your own pace, you can refer back to the DVD now and then for details, buy it once and you've got this effect forever.
Where can I get it?
The video clip and purchasing information for Jordan Johnson's Holy Grail is available here.
