'Now You See Me' is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco as the mysterious 'Four Horsemen', a magician act that begins to commit a series of Robin Hood style robberies using the magic acts themselves to pull them off. They become more and more daring while eluding two detectives (Mark Ruffalo and Mellanie Laurent), their former benefactor whom they have robbed (Michael Caine), and a gentleman using the reveal of their secrets for his own financial gain (Morgan Freeman).
Whoo! Quite a lot to swallow I know, however it is much smoother and more coherent on screen than from my words here. 'NYSM' was a film that I avoided for quite a long time until about a month ago when the trailer for its sequel popped up on my browser. I decided I should give the film a chance, even though I heard nothing but negative reviews from most people and to my surprise it's a solid heist flick.
Sure, it's far from a perfect film but like any great magic act, it has a lot of fun and spectacle to show you, and to attempt to hide its flaws behind the scenes which it does for the most part. The best part of the film is and should be, the magic acts and tricks themselves. From the simplest tricks early in the film (pictured above) to the more elaborate (and clearly CGI) stage shows really make the movie shine. The film's cast is also a great highlight, with Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson's banter with each other giving me the most chuckles. The humor works, however there are also two great performances in Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman as the straight men of the picture and they keep it going well.
Where the film falters however, is somewhat more devastating. The film makes the strange choice of sequel-baiting the ending and what I mean by that is the whole film leads up to a great twist, only for it to leave many, many answers for the audience to think about. I feel this was intentional, but not for the right reasons. They thought they had a series on their hands, but you would have to go back and look at this in 2013 terms when the film first came out. This film cost nothing to make and had little to no advertising when compared to the bigger blockbusters that year. The film's success was a surprise to all when it came out and that is what makes it so confusing.
Not knowing 100% sure whether or not you will continue a franchise, yet leaving your first film with so many questions and storylines unfinished and unanswered was a very bad move, and it really hurts the film. And the extra subplots and storylines they add aren't interesting nor do most add up until the very end and by then, its too late for us to care.
Still though, is 'Now You See Me' worth seeing? Yes, actually I recommend it in your personal DVD collection as I have done. The issue here is the film was probably more of a mess back when it first came out than it is now with 'NYSM 2' coming this Friday where it will hopefully answer all those questions. The story lags behind the wonder and great characters of the film, but its still worth the ticket to the magic show.
'NOW YOU SEE ME' GETS A:
(B-)
PROS:
-THE MAGIC SCENES
- HUMOR
-THE CAST
CONS:
-OBVIOUS SEQUEL-BAITING
-TOO MUCH UNANSWERED
-TOO MANY SUBPLOTS
Just to let you guys know that 'Warcraft' will be reviewed at a much later date due to reasons beyond personal control. 'NYSM 2' will be my official Friday review, hence this review you've just read. Thank you all for your continued reading.
(All images from 'Now You See Me' are property of Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment)
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