http://magicreviewed.com/reviews/chris-rawlins-leading-thoughts-review/

Chris Rawlins: Leading Thoughts Review

Two DVDs, seven effects, 2.67 hours and $ 35 bucks. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect

Check out the written ad copy for a description of the effects. They did a great job explaining them, and there's no need for me to repeat them here.

Method

The methods employed are pretty standard mentalism methods: peeks, "imps," forces, etc. Though there is nothing really new in concept, there are some solid combinations of concepts that make layers of deception The methods are all straightforward and totally workable.. He has a nice and simple idea for making sure that your instant stooge is ready to play that I found to be of value.

The credit card effect is a new-ish and innovative method for getting the information. It will, however, require you to experiment with a variety of different pay envelopes. The ones I have are not quite right for the effect, but I imagine a trip to a stationary store and a little experimentation will get you there.

The lottery ticket effect requires lottery slips that are used for writing down your numbers to help you keep track of them. I've never really seen these before. However, I live in a state that does not have a lottery, so I don ' t know if these are common or not. He mentioned that they're free at local gas stations in England.

Drop card is an excellent combination of principles that fits the model I mentioned earlier of layering techniques to increase the level of deception. There's not a whole lot to say about the methods. Simple. Standard. Sensible. What more do you want folks.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is pretty solid. I'll just point out a few things. First, they mention the newspaper test as one of the cleanest they've seen. This may be true. Just keep in mind that the method is nothing new. This basic idea is pretty much the standard for this type of effect. It's just a minor variation which is very similar to other variations of the past. The only other thing worth pointing out is in regards to the lottery ticket effect. They claim that " You then reveal the selected numbers printed upon a real, genuine lottery ticket. "This is actually not quite true.

It's not a lottery ticket. It looks like a lottery ticket, but it's a special thing for tracking lottery numbers. My understanding is that it looks like a real lottery ticket. The other thing is that the numbers are NOT printed on the ticket. They are filled in with a pen. Think "fill in the bubble" tests from your school days. That's a big difference compared to "printed on the ticket."

The performance was a bit messy and chaotic. He was throwing shreds of paper, and crumpled up stuff, newspaper, his card box, etc. on the floor. It did not as polished as you might think after reading the ad copy. As for the in-ad testimonials, those, of course, are just opinion, so I will not dispute them.

Product Quality

This DVD is solid overall. The production was good, easy to navigate, lit well, mic'd well, etc. The performances were done in front of a live audience, so some of the stuff happening was hard to see. But it was a bit like being in the actual audience because, for the most part, that was the experience they had. They watched from a distance while Chris Rawlins interacted with one or two people up close.

The explanations covered everything in detail. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much detail. They were very dry overly explained and slightly frustrating to watch. The DVD set was over 2 and half hours long. I think it could have eeeeeeeeeasily been half that time. Other than that, it's solid.

Final Thoughts

If any of the effects listed in the ad copy sound interesting to you and you do not already have a method for them, then I think you'll find real value here.

Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of gem.