The Lowdown:Moviegoers everywhere can now get a heist movie injection with the new caper film Now You See Me. It features a cast of big names, an engaging premise, a smart script, a good dose of magic, some kinetic action sequences, and plenty of deus ex machina. For those looking for fun, fast-paced, mindless entertainment, then you’ll have a good time with Now You See Me. For those looking for something more thoughtful, try elsewhere.
1. The Plot: The film is about four assorted magicians, Daniel (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt (Woody Harrelson), Henley (Isla Fisher), and Jack (Dave Franco), who are rounded up to pull off the most extravagant, elaborate heist of the century. On stage, they are known as the Four Horsemen, and it isn’t long before they make a name for themselves by performing a mind-blowing magic trick: they rob a bank and throw the money to their audience. Their personal benefactor, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), oversees them and provides them with funding.
It's like Robin Hood met David Copperfield.
Naturally, the feds get involved. Leading the investigation is Agent Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), who always seems to be one step behind the magicians and has issues with his new partner, Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent), an Interpol agent. There is also another party involved. Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), the host of a television program where he exposes the secrets of magicians, is also in pursuit of the Four Horsemen in an attempt to reveal the truth.2. The Characters:All of the cast members are skilled actors who perform gamely with the fairly witty script given to them; it is clear that they are having loads of fun. However, they don’t add much new to the table. Really, it seems like all of the actors are reprising roles that they’ve played in the past. Jesse Eisenberg is being snarky like he was in The Social Network. Woody Harrelson is the goofball character, much like how he was in Zombieland. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are kind of going about it, business as usual. However, these are all just hollow versions of more memorable characters. There isn’t much to say except that the acting is nothing spectacular. It is still serviceable, but one would expect a bit more flair given that this film is about magic.
For my first trick, I will make my acting potential go up in flames!
3. Movie Magic: Magic is all about manipulating expectations via a combination of sleight of hand and psychology. It’s really a perfect combination of skill and imagination. If executed correctly, magic can be mind-blowing. There are actual magic tricks performed in the film, though mostly in the first half. These tricks range from sleight of hand to big stage productions. If you have been to a magic show before, then you will probably have seen these tricks before, but you may still be spellbound. The film’s first trick, in particular, is especially effective. It’s just a shame that there weren’t more tricks displayed in the film, but what they do have is pretty good. However, Now You See Me adds “movie magic” to the mix, which severely reduces the impact of the tricks displayed in the film. Obviously, the filmmakers can hide any mistakes or make magic happen with editing and CGI, some of which looks exceptionally fake and unconvincing. Professional magicians only have one take, and they do everything right in front of your eyes. Even then, you still have no idea how they did it.
What's the worst that could happen?
4. Misdirection:One element that the film does quite well is misdirecting the audience. I am a pretty attentive filmgoer, but I was constantly making predictions on how the tricks were done and who was behind them. Nothing is spelled out for the audience and it remains that way for most of the film. Characters don’t ever go out of character in this film, even in the slightest. Other films would have guilty characters do something ever so slightly out of character as if to clue the audience into their real motivations. In the case of Now You See Me, this benefits the film because it keeps the audience engaged and guessing.5. Deus Ex Machina: I will not spoil anything here, but I must say that the third act of the film is definitely the weakest. It doesn’t go off a cliff like The Call, but there is a generous amount of deus ex machina that presents itself within the last 30 minutes that may leave you scratching your head. There are unexplained character motivations that feel contrived. There is also a lot of stuff that happens that we never see happen; we are only told that these things happened because they were convenient to the plot. I realize that this is not a mystery film, but it would have been better had the filmmakers been able to include clever, subtle hints throughout the film that clue us into the actual trick. There are a couple of visual clues that I spotted, but that was it. Instead of pulling stuff out of thin air that makes no sense, the filmmakers should have opted to reveal just a bit more so as to make their film less confusing.
The Bottom Line:Director Louis Leterrier may not be a sleight of hand expert, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that he has butterfingers. Hollywood has been in need of a heist movie for quite some time, and Now You See Me definitely puts a new spin on things. It’s not a great film; it is marred by movie magic that lessens the impact of real magic, and it also features a generous amount of WTF that may leave you a bit baffled. If you can forgive those flaws, however, you may be drawn in by the clever premise, the sight of great actors slumming together, witty banter, and some exhilarating action sequences. Ocean’s Eleven, this is not. The Prestige, this is not. Now You See Me is more like throwaway, Vegas-style entertainment, but it is still a fun ride.
Now You See Meis property of Summit Entertainment, K/O Paper Products, and SOIXAN7E QUIN5E. This review was written by me.
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