You may have thought Now You See Me 2 was just another unnecessary sequel brought on by Hollywood’s tendency to milk every dime out of an actual original idea. Well, give this sequel a fair shot. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Now You See Me 2 picks up a few months after Now You See Me ended, with the Horsemen still in hiding, and the FBI still in desperate pursuit. All your favorites are back (except for, sadly, Isla Fisher) and better than ever, reminding us why this franchise will always be a fun way to spend an evening. Casablanca it is not, but that’s one of its strengths.
It’s a fun romp with enough magic to keep you guessing, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you fully invested until the end. Check out our thoughts on Now You See Me 2‘s strengths and weaknesses, and be sure to let us know what you think, too!
Strengths
Magic is fun
The sole reason that the Now You See Me franchise works is that magic is fun. We love to be fooled, as long as we’re not the only ones not in on the joke. Throughout Now You See Me 2, the audience is as valuable a member of the team as each of the Horsemen. The magic-peddling Robin-Hoods count on the anonymity of crowds, the engagement of each person bearing witness to their tricks, and the loyalty of their fans to help them stay the iconic, free performers they have come to be.
If it weren’t so much fun to try to see the secrets behind the tricks before the big reveal, there would be little reason to tune into these films. The good news is that Now You See Me 2 has plenty of magic mixed in with all the practicality.
New cast members keep the fun alive
There were quite a few additions to the cast for this chapter in the Horsemen’s saga. Daniel Radcliffe is engaging and beguiling as the mysterious source behind some truly surprising twists. His manic desperation will have you forgetting his ties to a different kind of magic.
Sanaa Lathan and David Warshofsky are an interesting duo, although they didn’t get enough screen time to truly steal any part of the show. If there is to be a third installment, we hope both of them will return for more.
Tsai Chin and Jay Chou are bit players in screen time only. They provide some serious gravitas to the middle portion of the film, and would be another set of characters we’d love to see more of in a potential third Now You See Me film.
Lizzy Caplan, ladies and gentlemen
The only remaining new player is the highlight of the film for this fangirl. Lizzy Caplan stepped into Isla Fisher’s shoes as the female component of this team of elite magicians with gusto. Not only was her character, Lula, a breath of fresh air amongst a few stale jokes here and there, but she was consistently hilarious, no matter what bit she was playing out.
From her introduction alongside Jesse Eisenberg’s Daniel Atlas to the solo show she puts on in the movie’s final act, Lula was a necessary addition to keep this story from feeling like a stale reprisal of the original. While Lula rambled unnecessarily, we fell in love with Lizzy Caplan’s innate ability to feel authentic and realistic no matter what role she’s taken on.
Weaknesses
Things get a little convoluted
We love these movies because at some point, things stop being exactly as they seem and we get a chance to cross over from being in on the trick to being a part of the awed audience. In order to do that, the plot must take enough twists and turns along the way to keep us guessing. Unfortunately, those twists and turns can sometimes feel a little manufactured, and that can take some fun out of the story.
In this case, much of the convolution comes between Atlas and Dylan. A small part of the story, yes, but having these two at odds over something as unimportant as who’s in charge is just one step too far. We understand why they needed to drive a wedge between the two, but we just can’t help but think there may have been a better way to go about it.
What was with that ending?
A little ambiguity at the end of a movie about magicians is to be expected. It helps to keep the magic alive, and allows us to see that there are always tricks and illusions we aren’t meant to learn the secrets behind.
That being said, the ending of Now You See Me 2 leaves a lot more unexplained than should be allowed. At one point, you see all four Horsemen staring around them at photos and evidence that the Eye has been working hard behind the scenes, orchestrating far more than they originally thought. What seems the most unfair is that we never get a chance to see what has them so amazed. We are then quickly whisked off to a secret door behind a curtain that leads to a mysterious stairwell that we never see the bottom of.
Ultimately
This is yet another fun summer film, not meant to be looked at too closely, but just complicated enough to keep you engaged from beginning to end. It doesn’t concern any taboo topics, and it’s an easy movie to escape into when you just need to get away from real life for a while.
You won’t walk away with a new outlook on life, and you won’t find yourself offended by the story, and sometimes that is all you want from an easy weekend watch. Take your mother, your father, your grandparents, or a niece or nephew, and enjoy a little slight of hand, movie-theater style. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s just fine. It’s funny, flashy, and dare we say it, magical.
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