Keep your expectations in check, despite the awesome cast.

Review: Is 'Now You See Me' worth seeing?

6/2/13

I always have trouble deciding whether to recommend a movie that's not particularly horrible, but not fantastic either. That's exactly what I'm sitting here wrestling with after seeing the new caper thriller Now You See Me. I didn't hate the film. I didn't really love it, either.

Given the fact that Now You See Me boasts one of the best ensemble casts of any movie so far this year (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher, Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco), I'd hoped to be able to tell you that yes, this is a sure-fire hit film that you absolutely can't miss in theaters. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. I saw this as a matinee and I'm glad, because if I'd paid full price, I'd be even more irritated and let down than I already am.

Let me first warn you that if you haven't seen Now You See Me yet, beware of spoilers. There are more than a few twists in this movie, and if you get spoiled, it will without question ruin the entire film for you. I'll keep this entirely spoiler-free for that reason.

Here's the general idea of what's going on in Now You See Me: A group of magicians are brought together for an elaborate stage show that involves robberies. These so-called "Four Horsemen" actually commit crimes right in the middle of their performance - or do they? They are magicians, but they are also illusionists. Is any of what they're doing even real? And if so, how the heck are they doing it? The bottom line is that the FBI and Interpol want to know exactly how they're pulling off these ridiculously crazy stunts right under everyone's noses.

I remember just a few weeks ago, I posted a link to the first few minutes of Now You See Me, and I was all kinds of giddy about it. I loved the introductions to all of the magicians/illusionists/mentalists and I was hoping that the excitement I felt would carry over for the full two hours of the film.

That didn't happen, though I'll tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the first 1/3 of Now You See Me. It was visually stunning, the premise was interesting if not totally absurd, but I am willing to suspend belief when I watch almost anything - movies or TV shows. This is a movie about magic, after all. And FYI: If you want to learn more about some of the spectacular effects in Now You See Me, check out this piece - you won't be sorry. The fight scene they describe between Mark Ruffalo and Dave Franco's characters really is fantastic.

Director Louis Leterrier definitely knows how to make an energetic movie, but regrettably, the great momentum in the beginning of Now You See Me died out after a while. In fact, the whole movie kind of fell right off a cliff for me a little over halfway through. I still had fun, but the magic (so to speak) simply vanished into thin air. Before the film totally veers off course, though, it's a tremendously fun ride. I suspect you'll hear mixed reactions from friends and family who've seen it, because I certainly have.

I love movies about magic and magicians, particularly The Prestige (one of my all-time favorite films). I also enjoy a great heist caper film (Oceans 11, anyone?). I bought my ticket for Now You See Me hoping that at the very least, I'd get a little bit of Prestige and/or Oceans on screen. Now You See Me wasn't nearly as believable and dazzling as that of The Prestige and the actors, while giving decent performances individually, didn't really have the kind of wonderful chemistry we saw in the Oceans movies.

Did I expect too much out of Now You See Me? I don't think so, given the stellar cast, though if I'd bothered to check the official critics' reviews for the film, I probably would've had more reasonable expectations. I don't always agree with major movie critics anyway, as evidenced by my really liking Olympus Has Fallen earlier this year.

Does that mean that you shouldn't see Now You See Me at all? No, I'd say this one is a bit of a filler for us, in-between some massive summer blockbuster films. It tides us over while we all wait eagerly to sprint into theaters to see Man of Steel. Considering that I've already seen (and really enjoyed) Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Great Gatsby, and that I have zero desire to see Will Smith's After Earth, I'd say Now You See Me served its purpose. It kept me reasonably entertained for a few hours on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

This movie is totally hit or miss. I'd say either save your money and see it when it comes out on DVD, or, if you're just itching to hit the theater, go for a matinee. That way, you won't be disappointed if you don't love it. And, if you do see Now You See Me, please let me know what you thought via the comments.