Now You See Me 2 - movie review
Now You See Me 2
Plot: The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson
Director: Jon M. Chu
Rating: 12A (moderate violence)
Runtime: 2hrs 9 mins
Release Date: Monday 4th July 2016
Now you see me. Now I wish I didn't. The first Now You See Me was such a fun time. It wasn't the most original of films and had a few issues but I have a blast every time I watch it. However, when the credits rolled, not a single bone in my body screamed for a sequel. It wrapped up with a nice little bow and I wasn't asking for a sequel. Three years later, despite a moderate success at the box office and not being that huge of a hit with the critics, Now You See Me 2 has been born and my fears were met. They just didn't know what to do so put the characters in a nonsensical story.
Apart from Isla Fisher, the main cast return for the sequel and none of them really take a step down. Jesse Eisenberg leads the pack and even though he doesn't convince me to be the confident leader, as Atlas, I do buy him as a charismatic magician just wanting to do the right thing. There were a few moments that reminded me of his eccentric and oddball depiction of Lex Luthor but on the whole, he was fine. For those of you who haven't seen the first film, avoid this small section on Mark Ruffalo. At the end of the first film, it's revealed that Rhodes (Ruffalo) was the mastermind behind the Horsemen and when we rejoin him, he's still putting up this front for the FBI. Ruffalo was my favourite part of the previous film because he kept pursuing the magicians and the twist at the end really surprised me. In the sequel, I did think too much of an emphasis was put on Ruffalo's character's history and whilst he did a good job with it all, it left me indifferent and didn't blend with the energetic pace the film was going for. Now it's when we get to Woody Harrelson that the movie started to worry me. As his returning character, Harrelson is not a problem. He's witty, snarky but quite an endearing character. But there's more. This following character hasn't been publicised at all but I really wouldn't consider this a spoiler. Early in the film, we meet Merritt's twin brother, also played by Harrelson. Complete with a perm wig and buck teeth, I couldn't work out if Harrelson was high in this role or desperate for money. He is so irritating and utterly useless for the plot, I have no idea why he was introduced. He doesn't serve a single purpose. There's a hint at a supposed family drama but nothing comes from it. He wasn't needed in the slightest. Who has really impressed me in both films, has been Dave Franco. I liked him and his character in the first film but in the sequel, Franco steps up I thought. When he gets into the magic tricks, I was convinced that he was a legitimate magician and from reading behind the scenes notes, Franco seemed to take to magic the best. He's cool, funny and that was needed in a film like this.
Something that I had high hopes for was Daniel Radcliffe. He returned to his Harry Potter roots by appearing in another magic film but he wasn't as good as I had hoped. When we first meet his character, I didn't mind his take on it. He seemed a bit loopy and crazy but it made for a mildly compelling antagonist. That ultimately changed halfway through when a twist is revealed (one that was so obvious it didn't shock me) which turns his character into a whiny brat and becomes incredibly one-note. He switches into a clichéd British villain from the 50s. For crying out loud, he even sips tea whilst another character is in danger. Taking Isla Fisher's place is Lizzy Caplan, an actress whom I like. However, Caplan in Now You See Me 2 is so bloody annoying. They try to play her as a really fun loving wannabe magician who is in awe all of the time but Caplan just irritated me. I get that this film isn't taking itself too seriously but her comedy falls flat on its face. I never laughed at any of her jokes. She was like a scab. The film kept picking at her but it made everything worse. I can't decide which is more annoying; Lula (Caplan), the Woody Harrelson twin, or people who constantly ask me about Pokémon Go. I don't play it. Please stop asking me.
I didn't despise this film but I think most of the blame has to go to the director, Jon M. Chu. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Chu's previous directorial ventures have included a Justin Bieber documentary and two Step Up films. So I think it's a fair judgement for me to say that Now You See Me 2 feels a lot like a music video than an actual movie. It's very stylish which a film based around magic should be, but that was at the expense of an intriguing film. Whereas the original film from 2013 was primarily a magic movie, it's sequel is a heist film with undertones of magic. It felt like all the tricks were an afterthought and forced to remind us all that these are magicians. What I think Chu was trying to do was put these characters in an Ocean's Eleven setting but this isn't what they're good at. I love the idea of them being thrown into a cat and mouse game but this time round, it was like a horse and meerkat game. Doesn't make sense. The editing was also dreadful. Whenever the magicians got into physical struggles, the camera kept cutting rapidly. I got the fact that they're on the run. You don't have to give me a headache by showing me. And that's Now You See Me 2's fundamental issue. It was never subtle. Magic relies on being engaging but subtle. You feel on edge but relaxed at the same time. I really don't think Chu understood this because his direction is so blatant and on-the-nose, the film was bland and boring. Even if the story was bad, the one thing I could hope for was the magic. In the first film, I had to suspend disbelief a few times but much of the smaller tricks were actually real. In this movie, my belief was suspended throughout most of the runtime. You'd have more chance in believing in the Easter Bunny than some of these tricks. I do like some of the tricks performed that were real. Most of them come from Dave Franco and Lizzy Caplan (when she isn't annoying me) and they're really basic but real. When you have Mark Ruffalo conjuring up a glass wall to stop his pursuers or Jesse Eisenberg LITERALLY stopping rain and moving it up and down, and then turning himself into a PUDDLE, you've gone from a mystery thriller to a fantasy film. To make it even worse, they only explain half of these tricks, and those were the ones that I could hazard a guess as to how they were done. There is even a scene where the four of them keep passing around a card to keep it from authorities. It started off pretty cool as they kept flipping it around their hands but then passing it through their body and throwing it around a room just defies the rules of physics. Magic can be clever but that isn't magic. It's just a blend of visual effects and the movement of a camera. They didn't actually stop the rain and move it up and down.
I've heard reports that plans for a Now You See Me 3 is in the works and I really hope that doesn't come to fruition. They had a great movie under their belt and this one will most likely be forgotten. It lacks identity and the magic wasn't even magic. There are glimmers that I enjoyed such as their escape from a show gone wrong but I can remember specific moments from the first film. I'm struggling to think of great parts of this film. Just average forgettable scenes.
My Verdict: 5/10
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