Do you believe in magic? If not, this movie might just make you start believing. If so, you should have already seen it. But be careful, because the more you think you see, the less you will actually know.
“Now You See Me” surrounds the affairs of the Four Horseman, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), who went from simple street magicians to the must-see act in Vegas in a year. When one of their tricks ends with a man “robbing a bank” and the missing of millions of French Euros, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) gets involved to unveil their magic. While the search goes on, former illusionist Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) has his own search to reveal all of their secrets to the world for his business.
This majestic movie will have the audience on the edge of their seats. Twist and turns will have the audience awestruck and amazed, but more importantly, not confused. The ending is a surprise unlike any of recent films, like a real slap in the face. Every turn in the exquisite plot is explained, but some of the illusions will leave you guessing. After all, a magician never reveals their secrets.
The acting in this movie is truly magic in itself. The star-studded cast perfectly portrays each developed character. Eisenberg does an excellent job pulling off his usual cocky personality while Harrelson portrays a very cunning mentalist. Franco begins as a “star-struck” magician and shows his talents as a agile thief, while Fisher plays an excellent foil and assistant to Eisenberg. Freeman, playing an illusionist himself, is still just as spellbinding when he speaks. However, Ruffalo really takes the cake in this movie with an ending that is truly marvelous.
The camera work and setting for this movie is great as well, taking place in many major cities across the United States, including Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York and a city in France. Each location has a specific meaning to the story which unlocks itself at the end of each illusion. The camera work only adds to the suspenseful chase scenes and amplifies the mysterious magic.
The score for this film was all right with nothing too noticeable, which was a letdown from recent summer releases. It added to the dramatic and suspenseful scenes, but was otherwise pretty forgettable.
The only overwhelming letdown this movie delivered was a underlying love story that was unnecessary. When I say “underlying,” I mean it was really far down there. The two characters had a hate-hate relationship the entire movie and at the end it was like a “Disney miracle,” without the magic and the love. It seemed like the writers sprawled it together to make the women in the audience heart’s flutter, as if Franco wasn’t enough for them. They really had to dig deep to try to make it work and in the end it really didn’t. It left the end with an odd disconnect.
Overall, this movie was the perfect start to the summer releases and will have anyone believing in magic. “Now You See Me” is a miraculous masterpiece that defines magic.
