NOW YOU SEE ME 2 (2016)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, Lizzy Caplan, Jay Chou, Sanaa Lathan, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://www.nowyouseeme.movie

Opening Day: 16 June 2016

Synopsis: The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan) return for a second mind-bending adventure, elevating the limits of stage illusion to new heights and taking them around the globe. One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public’s adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, the illusionists resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate. The man behind their vanishing act is none other than Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), a tech prodigy who threatens the Horsemen into pulling off their most impossible heist yet. Their only hope is to perform one last unprecedented stunt to clear their names and reveal the mastermind behind it all.

Movie Review:

It is never easy coming off a successful prequel - just ask any one of this season's blockbuster sequels. The audience expects all of the previous awesome, but with a stronger cast, more impressive sequences and exotic locales. These expectations are probably compounded when the movie is about magic – it cannot even be a generic superhero movie. Unfortunately, Now You See Me (“NYSM”) 2 is a movie about magic. Following the impressive NYSM in 2013, the tricks can only be bigger, better and bolder to blow the audience’s minds. Or that was what the studio thought, probably.

The story picks up where NYSM ended – the Four Horsemen, now down to three, in hiding, Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) continuing his day job at the FBI, and Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) living the high life in jail. After the rather cryptic flashback to give the audience a better understanding of how Rhodes’ father died, we come to know of Daniel Atlas’ (Jesse Eisenberg) mounting frustration at the Horsemen’s inactivity and desire to take control from Rhodes.

For starters, the way the flashback was repeated throughout the movie gave a hint of what was to be resolved, as well as Bradley’s guilt and Rhodes’ inability to let go of his father’s death. After the rather rushed resolution of the death at the end of NYSM, one would expect that the event would be better fleshed out in NYSM 2. However, the whole recollection seemed more like just a tool to bring Morgan Freeman back and to inject some awkward sentimentality into the movie, arguably not contributing much to moving the storyline.

This was the same as Atlas’ leadership plans, which was way too easily resolved. Especially when there was so much more potential for it to develop into a classic good vs evil, loyalty vs self-interest struggle – or was that too superhero. Perhaps it was a conscious decision not to meddle with the established characters from NYSM, but that also made the characters uninteresting and predictable.

Thankfully then, was the replacement of ex-Horseman Henley Reeves (played by Isla Fisher during the first movie), by “pulled a hat out of a rabbit” Lula May (Lizzy Caplan). May’s  introduction brings to mind unanswered questions – why did May break into Atlas’ place and who introduced her to Rhodes – but back to this later. Right from the start, Atlas belittles May based on her past and his blatant distrust of her skills, making it all the more satisfying when she reveals herself to be smarter and more capable than she looks. In any case, May’s character tries to be the voice of independence and feminisim, while also calling out the sexism existing in the magic circles, and to some extent, Hollywood. Key word here being try, as Caplan’s role as comic relief sadly does not lend much power to her words, making her, in her own words, merely “the girl Horseman”.

In addition to Lizzy Caplan, new characters in the movie included Daniel Radcliffe, playing the villianous Walter Mabry and Mandopop superstar Jay Chou as Li. Coincidentally, perhaps, both of them had been linked to magic – Radcliffe was, well, Harry Potter and Chou is a self-professed magic fan. In a twist of fate, they play two characters who did not participate much in the movie’s magic, nor do anything much, really, merely existing to nudge along the series of magic tricks. Also, on an unrelated side note – one can’t help but wonder how much of China’s growing power in Hollywood led to parts of the movie being based in Macau, and the inclusion of Chou and his extremely ill-timed, awkward music.

Back to the topic of unanswered questions – throughout the movie, it seemed that the logic behind the plot and characterisation was being sacrificed in order to fill the time with as many magic tricks as possible. Hence leaving more mysteries than what was solved – who was the one who called the octa operation, how does Rhodes communicate with the Eye, what is behind the curtain? Mysteries are supposed to be great – it is a movie about magic after all – but also frustrating. Part of the fun of a magic movie is the reveal and explanation behind the tricks, (unless, of course, it is Harry Potter). In comparison to the original, NYSM 2’s final revelation felt simplistic and less convincing, which was a disappointment.

In all: stronger cast – checked; impressive sequences – kinda checked; exotic locales – checked. However, while NYSM led to the audience’s suspension of disbelief to be awed at the tricks, NYSM 2 relied too much on a deus ex machina to resolve its issues and ultimately lacked the appeal of its prequel.

(Watch the movie for the tricks and don't think so hard)

Review by Goh Yan Hui