Fellow movie-goers: Not as good as the first one, but dang close.
Here is the premise: One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public’s adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, The Four Horsemen 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, 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.
“Now you see me” was one of my favorite movies when it came out a few years ago, in fact I must confess that whenever I see it as I am channel surfing, I stop and watch it almost every time. There are few movies delegated to that level for me, so it is in a very elite group of movies for me. That being said I was both excited and nervous how the sequel to this gem was going to turn out. In the first 15 minutes of the movie, I got more nervous, it was awkward and did not feel like the first movie. Did they really just screw up a great movie for me? Am I going to have a Highlander II experience again? Luckily NO, after the awkward start it turned into an awesome film, with twists and turns and surprises just like my old friend “Now you see me.”
Most of the horsemen are back except for Isla Fisher, who was out because of her pregnancy, but Lizzy Caplan did a phenomenal job stepping into the shoes of Isla, playing the newcomer Magician to the group. Ruffalo, Eisengurg, Harrelson, and Franco are all back together and they are just as wonderful in this installment as they were in the first one. The storyline was tight, a wonderful script and the story arc worked perfectly (except for the first 15 minutes.) I enjoyed Radcliff as the bad guy, but sometimes he come off a bit like a spoiled brat, I would have like to see him be more of an evil guy. Morgan Freeman, who could mesmerize me just reading a dictionary, is back and I like his character better in this one than the first.
If you liked the first installment, you will like this one; I highly recommend it.
