Thursday, June 9, 2016

MOVIE REVIEW: Now You See Me 2

The sequel to the 2013 surprise hit Now You See Me, it brings back The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson and Mark Ruffalo) and together with Lizzy Caplan who replaces Isla Fisher from the original as the lady in the group, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Daniel Radcliffe in a role completely opposite from his Harry Potter persona.
A year and a half after the first film, The Four Horseman, a group of magician entertainers who expose global corruption and evildoers are hiding from the law after doing a Robin Hood type of heist from an insurance magnet (Michael Caine). They are brought back together after when a young high tech magnate (Daniel Radcliffe) blackmails them and insists on pulling a trick to benefit him.
Those who enjoyed the first film will have a great time with the sequel. Now You See Me 2 has some elements of the Ocean Eleven films with different locations around the globe that is actually family friendly. If the first film was able about magic, the sequel is more focused showing it's technical aspect. It was great to see how some tricks were done piece by piece.
Radcliffe is a great addition to the cast and it's nice to see him back on the big screen in a Hollywood popcorn film. Most of the actors who were in the first film still has that chemistry that was a big factor in it's box office success. The heist scene involving a playing card is a pleasure to watch. The problem though is that like any other sequel, the film felt like it was going nowhere. It's running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes could have been shorter by 30 minutes.
Overall Now You See Me 2 is a passable sequel and despite its shortcomings, it will make you wish for a better third film in the series. 


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