Coming into this movie with very low expectations, I left
pleasantly surprised and actually felt the $17.50 movie ticket was worth it in
comparison to some other films I’ve seen this month. Also, being a big fan of
the first film, I’ll try to keep my opinions as unbiased as possible. Try.
Now You See Me 2 (a.k.a Now You See Me: The Second Act) is
the sequel to the 2013 film, you guessed it, Now You See Me. The film once
again reunites us with the Four Horsemen, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg),
Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), with
replacement 4th member Lula (Lizzie Caplan) stepping in in the wake
of Isla Fisher’s exit. In their latest adventure, the Horseman find themselves
thrown into a new game and a new city, in which lies Walter Mabry (Daniel
Radcliffe) who forcibly recruits them to help steal a profitable piece of
technology from a rival company. After a year in hiding and doubting their
overlords The Eye’s plans for them, the group are itching to have a chance at the
limelight once more, however as always with magic tricks, things are not always
as they appear to be.
The positives: Above everything, this film was fun to watch as the franchise
has learned not to take itself too seriously. The storyline is full of twists
and turns that helps to keep the audience engaged and entertained, as well as
helping to stop it becoming a carbon copy of the last film, and definitely has
its humorous moments that help break the tension. The film also addresses Fisher’s
character Henley’s exit, rather than simply taking the easy route and sweeping
it under the rug. There are also lots of nail biting scenes involving many new
and improved tricks, including one inside a vault that really impressed me and
that audiences will have fun with. All acting is essentially as it was in the
first film, with Caplans’ ‘Lula’ adding a fun, flirtatious element that helps
to contrast her with the rest of the mostly male cast and is the source of most
of the humour. I also enjoyed seeing more of Mark Ruffalo’s character, FBI
Agent Dylan Rhodes, acting like the son of a magician, i.e. doing magic tricks
and understanding magic history.
The negatives: The bottom line is, if you didn’t enjoy the first film, you
won’t enjoy this one. Although there are a lot of improvements between this and
the 2013 release, the general atmosphere is the same. Some minor plot holes
leave you with a bit of confusion once the credits roll. The ‘magic’ does lead
to some unrealistic scenarios, just as in the first film, that the audiences
are expected to gloss over because, well, magic. As well as this, I felt the
ending was a little overdone and I would’ve been happier if the film ended 10
minutes before it did. Most annoyingly, the film attempts to address some issues
surrounding sexism in a few scenes using Lula, only to completely negate their
progress in the next by adhering to some pretty standard female tropes which
was a bit of a let down and may be a little jarring for people who grew fond of
the snarkier Henley compared to the fun-loving Lula.
Overall the film was a fun time that fans of the franchise
will enjoy. The dazzling magic effects, entertaining characters and engaging
plot do draw you in and make you remember why you enjoyed magic as a kid. If
you’re looking for something in-depth and gritty, you won’t enjoy this film.
But for a fun adventure movie, it has a lot to offer.
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