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Shock Twist by Gary Jones Review:

One set of "special" cards, one DVD and ten minutes. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.

Effect

Perform a Twisting the Aces style effect where one at a time, one of four blue-backed cards "magically" turns face up. Then at the end, all four instantly turn face up. For a final kicker, the cards are turned over to show that each card has a different colored back.

Method

A gimmicked set of cards, and the Elmsley Count are all you need to perform this effect. Three of the cards are regular cards. I have no problem with gimmimcked cards and Elmsley Counts. However, in this case, the handling is a bit awkward. As you watch the performance trailer, you'll see that after each Elmsley, you have to position the cards "just so" and then remove a card from the center (being careful not to expose the true nature of things) and then place that card on top.

Also, the gag of putting the cards behind the back at the beginning as well as the gag of manually turning over the last card at the end are both necessary for the method to work. So if you don't like those gags, you won't like the method. With some practice, the awkwardness of the moves can be overcome. After all, it looked pretty smooth when Gary Jones did it.

This type of method that requires a bit of "over handling" is a personal choice. You saw the exact handling in the trailer. If you're ok with that, then you'll be fine with the method. The gimmicks use a common principle that you are very likely familiar with. It's those gimmicks that allow the final instantaneous reversal of the four cards.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is 100% legit. It claims instant reset. The fact is that it's not even "instant." When the trick is over, the ending of the trick automatically sets it up for a repeat. So a more accurate statement would be automatic reset. Perfect. The only thing about the ad copy I didn't like was the quote from Chris Webb, " . . . the best packet trick ever." I'll let you decide if that's true.

Product Quality

The DVD quality was "okay." It was well lit, and the footage was well shot, but the audio was terrible. I could barely hear Gary Jones. I had the speakers on my computer system and the media player up to 100% volume and I could still barely hear him. In fact, when I finished watching the video, and turned on my iTunes, I thought I was going to blow my speakers because it was so loud.

Also, the gimmicked cards needed a little breaking in. They were sticking to each other and making it very hard to use and perform the needed Elmsley Count. After playing around with them and working them in, they finally started working properly, but you have to be very careful to make sure that you don't expose the secret when performing.

Final Thoughts

If you're a packet trick person, and you like the classic "four cards turn over one at a time-then there's a kicker" style routines, then you'll be happy with this effect. It's one of the early versions of this effect. It was created over 30 years ago by Gary Jones. This type of effect is very popular amongst the magi. As mentioned before, if you're okay with the handling shown in the trailer and you don't mind having to break in your cards a little bit, then you'll be happy with this effect; especially at the price of only $20.

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