Now You See Me

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
  • IMDb: link

Mixing magicians into a hesit film for something undeniably cool, if a bit overly-complicated, Now You See Me gave us Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and Isla Fisher as four young magicians brought together by a mysterious secret organization to use their skills and sleight of hand to deal a bit of justice to the wealthy who have skirted their responsibilities. The clusterfuck of a sequel even further over-complicated the story, removed key figures from the plot, and retconned the motivations of a key antagonist leading to a dismal follow up that somehow didn’t kill this franchise.

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Now You See Me 2

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Now You See Me 2
  • IMDb: link

Now You See Me 2

The sequel to Now You See Me attempts to pull an Oceans Twelve as the heroes from the first film are constantly thwarted and outmaneuvered. Sadly this movie doesn’t have the wit or style to pull off such a move. Taking place three years after the first film, the script makes several odd choices. While the Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco) have gone into hiding, Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) has remained with the FBI for the questionable purpose of keeping the Feds off the inactive magicians’ trail. His lovely Interpol girlfriend (Mélanie Laurent) is nowhere to be seen, and the adventure he and the Horsemen get trapped in will rewrite several key pieces of the first film.

When the Horsemen do return, except for Isla Fisher who is replaced by Lizzy Caplan, to take down another greedy billionaire, the media darlings are thwarted by an adversary (Daniel Radcliffe) who separates them from their leader and puts them to work in Macau to steal a revolutionary microchip. After an awkward set-up that includes Harrelson in a dual role, the movie begins to pick up a little steam in Macau as the Horseman get back to business stealing the chip and attempt to turn the tables on their tormentor.

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Do you believe in magic?

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Now You See Me
  • IMDb: link

Now You See Me

Who better to center a glitzy over-the-top heist caper on than masters of misdirection? Director Louis Leterrier offers us a tale of four talented but struggling magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco) brought together be forces larger than themselves to become the most sought after magic show in the world. And in their free time they also rob banks.

Those looking for an example of what separates a good movie from a great movie need look no further than the script by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt. That, along with the film’s talent cast and a slick look balancing real sleight of hand with CGI effects, gives Leterrier all the necessary ingredients to offer us what could have been the coolest movie of the Summer. Despite a great set-up, however, Now You See Me eventually runs out of gas with an over-complicated final act, a questionable late twist, and a prolonged epilogue that draws out events well beyond what is necessary. The film’s biggest weakness is not allowing itself to play the magician or be willing to leave the audience with any questions about what they have seen.

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