All of them, however, rely on the same basic formula: Present something so outlandish that it would have to be magic, and then suggest that (or agonizingly describe how) it was actually just a work of high-tech, god-level deception. In one scene, Danny Atlas manipulates every bead of water in a London rainstorm before explaining that the illusion was the result of some strobe lights and a rain machine. There are three kinds of magic tricks in “Now You See Me 2”: Things they don’t try to explain, things you wish they hadn’t tried to explain and things that could only be possible via the wizardry of wretched screenwriting. There’s a difference between suspending disbelief and expelling it with extreme prejudice. It’s never a good sign when at least a half-dozen story beats are explained by hypnosis. By contrast, “Now You See Me 2” feels like a feature-length film that’s entirely comprised of the laziest and most absurd plot holes you’ve seen in other movies. Chu’s direction elevates this sequel above the original, but at least that headache remained focus on the Horsemen’s economic agenda. Whatever.Īs per the series’s apparent tradition, the plot of this movie has all the coherence and consequence of a presidential caucus, and tracing any individual character’s arc would likely leave you with a broken wrist. And who is the mystery man responsible for whisking the production halfway around the world? He’s Walter Mabry (Hogwarts alum Daniel Radcliffe, delightful in an ironically non-magical role), a spoiled billionaire who wants the Horsemen to steal something because something. It isn’t long before they get to meet him face-to-face, as they’re teleported to Macau and brought to his doorstep faster than you can say “Chinese box office” (in the film’s only believable twist, it turns out that “Now You See Me 2” exists for no other reason than to rake in that sweet, sweet yuan). When the Horsemen step out of the shadows to publicly reveal how a young cell phone magnate is using his latest device to steal his users’ data, our histrionic heroes are upstaged by a mysterious new player. Last, and definitely least, Morgan Freeman is back as the nefarious mean guy who has a convoluted backstory and sometimes does stuff. Woody Harrelson returns as hypnotist Merritt McKinney, and also as Merritt’s evil, curly-haired twin brother, because - prior to this series - more Woody Harrelson always seemed like a good idea. Then there’s Jack Wilder (Dave Franco, his comic talents are completely wasted), who can throw playing cards like daggers - his strong suits have changed completely since the last film. The rest of the gang is just as you don’t remember them: There’s Danny Atlas ( Jesse Eisenberg), a smug street magician whose steely-eyed scowl always make him look like he’s defending himself in divorce court. Good thinking!Īll of your favorite Horsemen have returned, unless your favorite Horsemen was sole Horsewoman Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), because she’s been swapped out for newcomer Lula May (a plucky Lizzy Caplan) with all the fanfare of a magician dumping his assistant for a younger model woe to anyone who expects even a half-assed explanation as to where Henley might have disappeared. agent, so he’s been able to misdirect the feds from the inside. Fortunately, their leader, Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), has a day job as an F.B.I. Glorified Robin Hoods for the digital era, their ethos of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor has led them afoul of the authorities. Picking up a few years after the original left off, “Now You See Me 2” finds the world’s greatest ragtag team of magicians - “The Four Horsemen” - being forced to live in hiding. Chu has replaced Louis Leterrier in the director’s chair, it’s immediately clear that his installment will continue the franchise’s defining characteristics: An open contempt for coherent storytelling, and a gleeful failure to understand the idea of “movie magic.” “Now You See Me 2″ begins with some Morgan Freeman narration in which he pledges that “Seeing is believing.” Although filmmaker John M. READ MORE: Jesse Eisenberg: I’d Rather Be In A Good Sequel Than A Bad Original – Q&A Woody Harrelson Thinks Matthew McConaughey Got to Do All the ‘Fun,’ ‘Crazy Sh*t’ on ‘True Detective’
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