Now You See Me 2 [DVD]

OH MY GOODNESS PLEASE WATCH THIS SOOOOOOO GOOOD hold up why am i writing this review when i could be watching the movie right now? and why are you 🫵🏼 reading this review when YOU COULD BE WATCHING IT RIGHT NOW Definatly top 5 movies if you like action packed insanely-insane plot twist crazy awesome movies this is for you. but if you like lame boring movies dont watch this.

The first movie was the best and most unique movie I'd seen in a while back in 2013. The entire basis of magic is a suspense of disbelief, and the movie was not only able to do that, but it was able to get me excited about MAGIC - something that has been made goofy over the years by "magicians" like Chris Angel and nail-painting men who put more effort into their Hollywood social life than their craft. I loved the cast of the first film (Mark Ruffalo is always a winner in my book,) Jesse Eisenberg is somehow charming despite his apparent arrogance, Woody Harrelson is flawless no matter what he does, Isla Fisher shined, and Dave Franco provided the humble sexiness the group needed. So in the second film when I saw that Lizzy Caplan was replacing Isla Fisher, I was skeptical - how could they be the same Four Horsemen? I'll admit the film's explanation was a bit lazy, but after a few minutes of seeing Lizzy do her thing, I didn't care anymore. She's proven to be the stand-out in almost every notable film/series she's appeared in - Mean Girls, Masters of Sex, her short stint in True Blood, and now this. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Throughout the whole film, despite knowing logically that magic isn't real and even having their mind-blowing stunts explained by the characters themselves, I still found myself in awe. Sure, there's probably a ton of editing and other tricks that played a massive supporting role, but I still found myself wondering how the hell they mastered to keep me locked in and bewildered - especially with the slight of hand and card tricks. One scene in particular that has all the characters participating in Franco's specialty had me especially stunned. This film almost brings back nostalgia of what we would call "real" magicians - Houdini and the like - those who captivated crowds, dedicated their lives to their craft, and were beloved heroes - and I think that's what the film was aiming to do. Remind us why we love magic, why we still stop to watch someone on the street corner doing tricks, and bring a little excitement and possibility into a world that desperately needs it. Of course people will say that the tricks were obvious in their execution, that the plot was boring - the same things people say about all movies. But as a film lover, particularly of any genre that involves testing my suspension of disbelief (sci-fi, mystery, suspense, action, the occasional supernatural,) I have to give a huge round of applause to the whole cast - directors, actors, everyone involved. This movie captivated me from beginning to end and every turn was the opposite of what I expected - just as in the first film.

10/10

Enjoyable. Just very similar to the first one. We like the cast.

I want to premise this by saying unless you've seen the first film in what I hope will be an ongoing series (ala Star Trek, for instance), it may be somewhat hard to follow what, exactly, is going on. Unless you know the backstory from Film 1, hard to say if there were enough clues to bring viewers enough up to speed to enjoy the film and not just watch the whole as a confusing mess. That being said - I was not a fan of the new female lead. She was engaging enough, but I liked the actress in the first film better. Sadly, there was absolutely NO explanation given as to what had happened to her character, a detail that bothered me throughout the film. I rated this second film higher than the first one because I was intrigued by the introduction of the "Mysteries" concept and the role of these modern-day "priests" and "priestesses" to balance the scales of justice using "magical" powers -- in reality, ingenious technological innovations and age-old sleight of hand tricks that nonetheless take a lifetime and talent to truly master. A lot of fun - again as the first film was - and non-stop action. I didn't think it would be possible to leave me feeling more tired and rather out of breath at the end of this second film than at the end of the first, but it happened! Only one thing - I didn't for one second "buy" into Daniel Radcliffe as a bad guy. Maybe if they could add 6 inches to his height, but in this film he looked rather like a midget surrounded by giants, indeed - adults! Guess I'm just too used to seeing him in his Harry Potter role. I couldn't take his character seriously. Deliciously hammy performances, though, by both Radcliffe and his film "father" - does anyone remember him from "Alfie" way back when? Guess I'm dating myself, LOL. I want to see #3, if one is made. It can even keep the same female lead, but I think we need another female in the group -- just a little bit too much testosterone floating around. Morgan Freeman - excellent as always, and he looked like he was having a hoot of a time. Actually, all of the cast did. I want to see the story line developed around the teachings that go all the way back to ancient Egypt and delve more into how many of these enforcers of justice there are. Somehow, meeting two in China felt - incomplete.

This is the second movie of the Now You See Me series. I realize it has been out for several years. Don't let that stop you from watching this movie. It is full of twists, surprises and excellent acting. The direction is well done, the writing is superb. Well worth the rent fee.

Great Bluray.

--------- SPOILERS AHEAD DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT --------- This ruined the plot of the first movie. In the first movie, the detective guy, Lionel Shrike's son, was a mastermind and a member of the Eye. He is the one who creates the elaborate plot to get his revenge on Morgan Freeman's character. He was an unflappable genius, legend, and mastermind of the entire first movie. In this second movie, for no reason, he is this blithering buffoon, outsmarted every step of the way. Suddenly Morgan Freeman's character was the leader of the Eye all along and Lionel Shrike's son didn't even know that. How does that make sense? Lionel Shrike's son is the one who invited the 4 horsemen to the Eye, surely he had to have some approval from the higher-ups in the Eye? How did Morgan Freeman's character not know that these 4 horsemen were candidates to join? How did he not know that there was this elaborate plot against him in the first movie, that the Eye likely aided in? It just makes no sense. Also that safe escape would have failed if Jesse Eisenberg's character didn't rescue him. So Morgan Freeman's character could have just killed off Lionel Shrike's son because that was his idea to put him in the safe. Anyway, so many flaws in this movie. I mean I liked the movie, it was overall great. However, the story just ruined the first movie, and I hate that.