Plot: J. Daniel Atlas (Jessie Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are four magicians with varying levels of success in their field. However, that all changes when a mysterious hooded figure brings the four together to form their own magician troupe known as The Four Horsemen. With the backing of billionaire Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) the group becomes an instant success. But when the magic act results in some very real bank robberies, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is brought in to bring the quartet to justice. Along with magician debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) and French Interpol agent Alma Vargas (Melanie Laurent), Rhodes uncovers an interconnected mystery years in the making and a shadowy figure guiding the Four Horsemen's actions to an ultimate Earth shattering conclusion.
Review: Now You See Me is a pleasing, humorous, and entertaining popcorn flick that makes up in spectacle what it lacks in substance. Director Louis Letterier is mostly known for his action films, (The Transporter, Clash of the Titans) but despite the somewhat slower pacing and stylized plot of Now You See Me, Letterier manages a decent job in the heist genre. Except for a few magic scenes that feel belabored (especially The Four Horsemen's first one) his direction displays a steady pace that keeps the audience interested if not always fully invested. For fans of Letterier's action films fret not as there is a surprisingly well choreographed fight scene between Franco and Ruffalo and an equally impressive car chase scene. Letterier and cinematographer Larry Fong also chose to shoot the film in a sleek, modernistic pastiche heavy on black and white that underscores the slick and fast talking deception artists. It's too bad Brian Tyler's horribly bombastic score couldn't complement the film.
Ed Solomon and Boaz Yakin's script is fairly good with some interesting plot twists and well written dialogue. Unfortunately, I was expecting Ocean's Eleven with magicians and that's not quite what I got. Maybe the most frustrating thing about the plot is that Now You See Me contains flashes of brilliance that almost transcends into a great film but comes up just short. Don't get me wrong this isn't The Ladykillers by any stretch of the imagination, Now You See Me's plot is entertaining enough in its own way. Also the strong ending makes up for some of the plot's earlier shortcomings.
When I first saw previews for Now You See Me I was impressed by the cast list. While cohesively the group worked well together, individually the performances were hit and miss. Isla Fisher was forgettable and boring as Henley and her banter with Eisenberg's Daniel felt forced at times. Franco didn't have nearly enough screen time to make an impression and Michael Caine was stuck playing the one dimensional smarmy English billionaire. Morgan Freeman was entertaining as Thaddeus Bradley with some strong one liners. However, even I admit that at times it felt like Freeman being himself and/or preparing for his television show "Through the Wormhole." Eisenberg once again succeeds at playing an arrogant sarcastic character, but if he wants to expand his acting horizons he really needs to pursue other roles.
The strongest performances came from Woody Harrelson's Merritt McKinney and Ruffalo's Dylan Rhodes. Harrelson was charming and hilarious as the mentalist rogue and his banter with the other characters (especially Eisenberg) was spot on. His mentalist powers often led to extremely funny scenes like the one early on in a police station. Suffice it to say that the term "Trannie Tuesday" makes an appearance. While some critics have called Ruffalo's Rhodes "boring" I can't for the life of me understand why. He played the classic Fed with a doggedness and toughness that was natural and not over the top. His chemistry with Laurent was excellent and he delivered some of the most humorous lines in the whole film.
I do have one major complaint with the film which is that while it had a strong ending, there were some plot points that weren't tied up. I don't know if the producers were trying to leave room for a sequel or what but I found it annoying rather than intriguing. I won't say what those plot points were because it gives some important aspects of the film away. However, if you ever watch Now You See Me I'm sure you'll understand.
Word to the wise: if you're not a fan of magic chances are you won't enjoy this movie. However, if you're not looking for much more than two hours of relaxing entertainment you could do a lot worse than Now You See Me.
My rating: 7/10
***SPOILER ALERT*** DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE
ReplyDeleteWhen I go to the movies, I expect to be entertained. I think that’s normal. I also hope to be either inspired or intrigued, if not both. With “Now You See Me”, I wasn’t inspired, but I was entertained and most certainly intrigued.
I won’t comment on anything other than the story because frankly, I don’t know what I’m talking about. I But I do know stories, because at heart, I am a writer. A terrible one, but a writer nonetheless. And I thought NYSM had a great storyline, both on its own and in creating a new world that could see at least one sequel.
There are a lot of ways a sequel could go, beyond the obvious “what happens after they are “in the Eye”? As I watched the film, one idea jumped out at me right away – a prequel. It’s obvious that each of the main characters has an interesting if not downright compelling backstory. What I really would like to see is a sequel with LOST-style backstory flashbacks. I think a straight prequel would be too much; I’m not sure audiences would be interested in seeing what the characters were like before they knew them, without also answering some of the questions put forth in NYSM.
One other note on something in the story that I found very interesting: after Act I of the Four Horsemen at the MGM, word quickly spread that there would be an Act II. While the movie made a point that there were flyers handed out after Act I with this information, the first thing I thought of was social media. I could imagine word spreading like wildfire (forgive the worn simile) through Twitter, Facebook, etc. and people all over the country being sucked into the spectacle.
This is a case of a plot point being executed at just the right time in history. Social media is a part of our everyday lives; if this movie had been made even five years ago, that plot point would have worked fine, but having it now makes it that much more plausible.
I like it when I see a movie that creates a unique world, and draws me into that world sufficiently enough to keep me interested in it long after I’ve left the theater. “Now You See Me” accomplishes that well enough that I am still thinking about the story almost a week later.
Possibly more to add to this later as I think of it.