I wanted to like this effect. The idea is clever and can be memorable for the audience.
Unfortunately, the presentation is sub-par.
The maps look. This is quality printing on
quality paper, not the cheap treatment. The maps are gimmicked in ways that are not obvious.
Sadly, the map has two flaws. The small flaw is that the mapmakers swapped two tube stations on
the Central Line, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, for no good reason. Even my mom has done enough
shopping on Oxford Street to know which side of Oxford Circus that Marble Arch is on.
Here’s the big flaw: The mapmakers forgot to consider what will happen 3% of the time, when the
trick will go horribly wrong. The DVD explanation doesn't even mention the possibility of failure,
or what to do about it. The publisher didn’t put together a video on their website to address the
issue post-production, either.
Between them, the two flaws indicate a project where they
just allowed the brilliance to override quality control. Yes, you can come up with a way around the
problem. But then again, if you're inventing things, you can come up with a way to a similar effect
with a completely ungimmicked map, so the whole idea of "hey, there are workarounds!" won't hold
water.
There are supplementary effects that are not affected by the errors in gimmicking
the map, but all material for Tube makes it absolutely plain what the main effect is. And that main
effect just simply has not been thought all the way through.
I give Tube two stars. A lot
of the time, the effect will work and it is strong. Some of the time, the effect will fail
spectacularly, and you will look weak.
This a great trick of mentalism if you can manage to sell the idea of why you are using a map of the
underground metro of london. I do like the idea but the method to get some info isnt as clever as i
thought before buying it and it does require a little of digging from the performer, still it is a
great effect.