With the movie sequel summer season in full swing, it’s 2013’s Now You See Me that’s next in line to cash in on a follow up. The “Four Horsemen” are back, drawn out of hiding by the mysterious group known as “The Eye”, and ultimately forced into a seemingly impossible mission…
Now You See Me 2 is directed by Jon M. Chu, taking over from Louis Leterrier who directed the original. Ed Solomon is again responsible for the story and the screenplay. There is just one change to The Horsemen line-up. The character of Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) has left the team but Lula (Lizzy Caplan) is a very welcome replacement. She is a rising star in the world of illusionists and charms her way into the team early on.
The always excellent Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as FBI Agent (and fifth Horseman) Dylan Rhodes. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco are all back in their respective roles.
The film is set one year after the original. The Horsemen have been in hiding since the globally broadcast bank heist that left Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) humiliated and Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) framed and then imprisoned for the robbery. But J.Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is now sick of hiding in the shadows and wants to work again. Soon enough he gets his wish as Dylan Rhodes reunites the team and outlines a mission to publicly discredit an unscrupulous tech guru. Let’s just say that things don’t go quite as planned and The Horsemen soon find themselves the victims of a sophisticated illusion.
The original film had to spend time introducing the characters with their various skills and personal history. The team was then formed and the plot gradually unfolded, culminating in a thrilling climax. The plot twists were very clever, albeit highly convoluted, all of which made for a highly satisfying film. The sequel still retains the comedic tone of the original, but it is less of a mystery thriller and more of an action adventure film. The chases and fights are often filmed in very dark locations and close-up to the camera. This made for frustratingly claustrophobic viewing as it was very hard to see what was going on.
The magic and illusion sequences are all generated by CGI so it is hard to get excited by them. They are after all just movie special effects. The sequence with the ‘card’ in the computer room is ridiculous, impossible and over-long. The pattern of the film is to show these implausible illusions and then take great pains to explain how they were done. By the second and third time this is just annoying. Most disappointingly I found the last 30 minutes of the film entirely predictable. The original film had me guessing right to the end, however the denouement of the sequel is telegraphed well in advance.
Lizzy Caplan is excellent as the new Horseman and bravely attempts to provide the humorous moments of the film. However the rest of the cast are not on the same page and these scenes just seem awkward. The ubiquitous Michael Caine is wheeled out to make a few vengeful threats. Morgan Freeman is also tasked with delivering a few, but this time veiled in the pseudo-mysticism of The Eye. The main villain of the piece is Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe). He reveals himself with a “ta-da!” to The Horsemen. Yes, this is a surprise, surprise moment, but it is a weird bit of casting. Radcliffe does not overplay the role, but it didn’t work for me. Mabry shows all the menace of a puppy that might lick you to death.
This film is too long and feels every second of its 129 minutes. When the end credits finished rolling I felt like I had been shouted at for two hours. This film bludgeons the audience with CGI and an over-reliance on chases and fights, and as such lacks the guile and intrigue of the original. The plot answers a lot of questions that are raised in the first film and clearly paves the way for Now You See Me 3. Hopefully that will be a better film than this one.
Author – Simon, Norwich store.
