2013’s “Now You See Me” was a fun, summer, popcorn flick. It didn’t make you think go hard, but it had enough going on to hook you and keep you interested.
What it was not, was a film that begged to have a sequel. “Now You See Me 2” offers much of what the first film does. Dry, snarky banter explaining everything you missed. Then further explanation of any additional twists you might have missed. Not a lot has changed, with a few exceptions.
After their bank heist of the previous film, the remaining four horsemen have been in hiding waiting for further instruction from the mysterious Eye. Make that the three horsemen—Danny Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson). Apparently, the fourth got tired of waiting around and bolted, with permission from the Eye.
Thankfully, they were able to find another female to replace her in the form of Lula May (Lizzy Caplan). Who is a delight, but it’s hard to get past the fact that she’s still the only woman, not to mention the lazy explanation for why Henley (Isla Fisher) left.
But moving on, the four horsemen find themselves in a bit of a pickle when they’re kidnapped by tech prodigy Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe) who faked his own death. He’s “recruited” the horsemen to help with a heist on his former partner.
From there, it’s exactly what you would expect. There’s several sequences reminiscent of something out of “Ocean’s 11.” There’s big reveals, secret identities, and a grand finale with one final plot twist (sorry, no spoilers).
It’s not a bad film, but it doesn’t offer anything new or better than the first film. It just leaves you with the burning question — why?
…just for fun:
