A ton of film language hadn’t been invented in 1901, so this feel less like a movie and more like a vaudeville magic show with a tiny plot to tie the tricks together. The camera is always stationary. Scenes are single takes, and most new scenes have slow cross dissolves to give the viewer as much time as possible to figure out that they’re switching to a new place. But the creators aren’t afraid to try things. The sets are fantastical. Special effects are built out of hard cuts and multiple film layers. And there’s even social commentary about imperialism. Not bad for a movie that’s nearly 125 years old.