NOW YOU SEE ME REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Like the characters in the film, director Louis Leterrier uses sleight-of-hand so the viewers are distracted from obvious screenplay deficiences. By bringing a fast-moving, high-energy approach that includes a witty dialogue, fast cutting and an upbeat score, Leterrier skips over plot holes with momentum, making this a great film to watch. There may be some flaws in Now You See Me, but thanks to the fast paced narrative, we are able to forget them and enjoy the film.

The film focuses on a group of magicians, known as the Four Horsemen, that consists of: J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), an arrogant illusionist that leads the group; Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), a hypnotist who, after his brother ran way with his money, joins the group; Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), an escapist and stage magician, who is also Atlas' former assistant and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a sleight-of-hand illusionist and a talented impressionist. The beginning of the film shows them performing their tricks, individually and meeting for the first time.
The film then fast forwards a year later and shows them performing in Las Vegas, as the Four Horsemen, and succeeding in a bank heist. This catches the attention of FBI agent, Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), who is determined to find out how the magicians are doing their tricks. He tries interrogating them but, due to lack of evidence, he is forced to let them go. This doesn't stop him, though. He becomes obsessed and determined to stop them. He enlists the help of Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a former magician who knows all of the Four Horsemen's tricks. However, the Four Horsemen are aware of Rhodes and are always one step ahead of him.
When I first watched Now You See Me, I had no idea I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. The characters are all well-developed and there is great chemistry between the Four Horsemen. The narrative is brilliant and, when I first watched it, I had no idea what was going to happen. However, halfway through the film, I became more aware of the Four Horsemen and their tricks and knew they could get away from the FBI. The film also has one of my favourite plot twists in film, don't worry I won't spoil it.
The tricks themselves are also really clever. Yes, CGI may have been used but they still left me in awe. Especially with the bank heist, I had no idea how they pulled it off until Thaddeus revealed the trick.
This is probably one of the only thrillers that is actually comical. This is thanks to the members of Four Horsemen as they are both cunning and witty. This is what makes us like them more and why we want them to succeed.
Overall, a great thriller that is enjoyable to watch.
I would definitely recommend this to fans of The Prestige, another one of my favourite films that involves magicians.
7/10
Read my review of Now You See Me 2 here.

NOW YOU SEE ME 2 REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2013, Louis Leterrier wowed audiences with a surprisingly good thriller that focused on a group of magicians known as the Four Horsemen who, after robbing a bank during one of their shows, were chased by the FBI. It was thrilling and had a great plot twist. It was successful at the box office and, therefore, a sequel was made.

Whilst Now You See Me 2 isn't as good as its predeccesor, it's still a satisfactory sequel. In the first film, we watched the magic tricks in awe as we questioned how they performed them. Now, the answer is obvious: computer generated imagery. There's one scene in the film where the Four Horsemen are hiding a chip behind a card and they have to pass it through one another without any of the security noticing and they only way they could do that was by using CGI. It's still a fun scene to watch but it's hard for us, as an audience, to believe what they're doing is legitimate.

One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public's adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, The Four Horsemen, consisting of Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Lula (Lizzy Caplan) 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 (Daniel Radcliffe), 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.

The film has a good opening. We see Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) as a child and see how his father, who was a magician, died during one of his tricks. It makes us feel sympathetic towards him. Over three decades later, Dylan is still hiding his true identity within the FBI whilst trying to protect his Four Horsemen who are in hiding due to the events of the previous film and are bored and want to perform. Unfortunately, when they get the chance to, things take a drastic turn and they are forced into helping Walter, who is presumed dead, get a chip that will erase his existence.

The acting performances are still just as strong as the first film. Harrelson returns, not only as Merritt, but also dons a fake wig and a set of fake teeth as his twin brother, Chase, who brings comic relief. The newcomers include Caplan who replaces Isla Fisher's character, Henley Reeves, as she was pregnant whilst this film was being made. In the film, it's said that Reeves left as she was getting tired of waiting and not being able to perform. Caplan's Lulu, who is a fan of The Horsemen, is just as likable as Fisher's Reeves. The villain of this film is Radcliffe's Mabry. I'd say that he was a surprising choice because many people will make the connection between Mabry and Harry Potter. However, Mabry is nothing like Potter, he's menacing and we don't see him perform any magic tricks.

I'd say that this film is worth watching for its final hour as that's when the best magic tricks are performed despite the fact they still used CGI. I'm also certain that if you enjoyed the first film, you'll like this one.

7/10

Read my review of Now You See Me here.