Following off the back of a successful first outing, Now You See Me 2 sees another magic-based heist for the film’s protagonists, the Four Horsemen but is it a worthy follow up?
The story picks up with three of the original Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco) in hiding. They are brought out into the open by their mentor and FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) in what is an elaborate trap set by Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), a millionaire tech genius, with reason to see the Four Horsemen, along with newest recruit Lula (Lizzy Caplan), ruined. Their troubles bring them to Macau where Rhodes, along with magic debunker, Thaddaeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), must not only rescue the Four Horsemen but also even the score with Mabry and his elusive backer.
Now You See Me 2, in short, is very entertaining. It benefits from a strong cast, The Four Horsemen all suit their individual roles within their merry band of ethical thieves; Eisenberg is the de facto leader, Danny Atlas, who enjoys camaraderie with the sometimes too eager Jack Wilder, played by Dave Franco, and the more headstrong Merritt McKinney played by Woody Harrelson. Daniel Radcliffe suits the role of a very 21st century villain: an egotistical 20-something who thinks he knows everything because he got lucky with the boom in new technology. However, the brilliant Lizzy Caplan was wasted in a role that was essentially a filler due to Isla Fisher being pregnant and unavailable for the film, even her “romance” with Jack Wilder is both unexpected and pointless. Meanwhile, with regards to the entire plot it lacks the surprise that the first film had in abundance, of course, the finale is very entertaining but it doesn’t surpass what we have seen before.
Overall, Now You See Me 2 is definitely worth a watch, it’s performed well and this more than makes up for the storyline lacking in surprises and for characters that feel like a last minute edition.
NOW YOU SEE ME 2 / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: JON M. CHU / SCREENPLAY: ED SOLOMON / STARRING: JESSE EISENBERG, MARK RUFFALO, WOODY HARRELSON, DAVE FRANCO, DANIEL RADCLIFFE, LIZZY CAPLAN / RELEASE DATE: 7TH NOVEMBER
