Film review: Now You See Me 2

Film & TV

‘Now You See Me 2’ is a fast-paced, fun and frivolous heist-caper film that offers a well-seasoned serving of popcorn entertainment.

Thursday June 09, 2016 Comments

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After pulling off the theft of their lives in 2013’s surprise hit Now You See Me, the group of illusionists dubbed Four Horsemen are back in the saddle.

This time, Danny Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are joined by a new recruit, Lula (Lizzy Caplan) – Isla Fisher was pregnant and could not reprise her role as Henley Reeves – and aided by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo).

Their magical adventures take them globetrotting after they are kidnapped by technology wizard Walter Mabry (a wonderful performance by Daniel Radcliffe). To save their lives, clear their names and bring down the bad guys, the Horsemen stage a host of elaborate illusions and a final spectacle in London that is akin to a Mission Impossible stunt.

Along the way, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) and Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) deflect and distract the magicians, providing enough twists and turns to ensure their dazzling performances keep challenging the audience. Only by working as a team can the Horsemen hope to succeed.

Showily directed by Jon M Chu, Now You See Me 2 careers along with jaw-dropping illusions and knowingly winks the eye and places a tongue in the cheek as it manipulates its viewers.

Like in a real magic show, you know it’s sleight-of-hand – and in this case sleight-of-camera – but ultimately it is still thoroughly entertaining.

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<h1>Film review: Now You See Me 2</h1>

‘Now You See Me 2’ is a fast-paced, fun and frivolous heist-caper film that offers a well-seasoned serving of popcorn entertainment. 

																		<address><a href="https://inreview.com.au/contributors/stephen-davenport/" class="author">Stephen Davenport</a></address>
											
							After pulling off the theft of their lives in 2013’s surprise hit Now You See Me, the group of illusionists dubbed Four Horsemen are back in the saddle.
This time, Danny Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are joined by a new recruit, Lula (Lizzy Caplan) – Isla Fisher was pregnant and could not reprise her role as Henley Reeves – and aided by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo).
Their magical adventures take them globetrotting after they are kidnapped by technology wizard Walter Mabry (a wonderful performance by Daniel Radcliffe). To save their lives, clear their names and bring down the bad guys, the Horsemen stage a host of elaborate illusions and a final spectacle in London that is akin to a Mission Impossible stunt.
Along the way, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) and Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) deflect and distract the magicians, providing enough twists and turns to ensure their dazzling performances keep challenging the audience. Only by working as a team can the Horsemen hope to succeed.
Showily directed by Jon M Chu, Now You See Me 2 careers along with jaw-dropping illusions and knowingly winks the eye and places a tongue in the cheek as it manipulates its viewers.
Like in a real magic show, you know it’s sleight-of-hand – and in this case sleight-of-camera – but ultimately it is still thoroughly entertaining.
							This article is republished from <a href="https://inreview.com.au" target=_blank rel="canonical">InReview</a> under a Creative Commons licence. Read the <a href="https://inreview.com.au/inreview/film/2016/06/09/film-review-now-you-see-me-2/" target=_blank rel="canonical">original article</a>.
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