Los ilusionistas 2

The original 'Now You See Me' film was an incredibly enjoyable affair. It was possibly one of the finest examples of how, if you were willing to suspend your disbelief to epic levels, you really could have a great time watching it. It was Hollywood glitz and popcorn-munching fun all the way through. The - A-list - cast was perfect and played off each other brilliantly, depicting a quartet of modern day Robin Hood-style magicians who stole from the rich and corrupted through the use of their dazzling illusions and, in turn, gave back to the poor. I suppose its success basically guaranteed a sequel would be greenlit. And, where I do give the film credit for doing its best to follow-on closely from the events in the first outing, this time round it's just too unbelievable to be convincing - no matter how hard you try to suspend your disbelief.

I really wanted to like this film - and I guess I did. There were plenty of neat moments here and there, it's just I wanted to like it a LOT. And I didn't. The story picks up a little while after the events of the first one and the most noticeable difference for me was the fact that Isla Fisher hasn't returned this time round. She's therefore instantly replaced by another female magician who slots into the team a little too well. Then we get to the meat of the story where the twists and turns start to overtake general common sense and credibility.

The rest of the cast return, but the main newcomer is Daniel Radcliffe who entraps the magicians in an attempt to use their collective skills to steal something for him. And, as I mentioned, the 'magic' set-pieces are indeed well-filmed and cool to watch. However, the story just doesn't add up. One of the main complaints from the first one was the 'twist' which left some viewers feeling a little short-changed. Here, the film tries to 'out-twist' the original by taking the story in all sorts of directions which leave you truly confused as to who is on who's side and who is trying to double-cross who.

I know that part of the fun with watching magicians perform is trying to guess how the trick is done. With the first film you could just about believe that the feats they carry out could just about be actually real if all the circumstances were just right. In the sequel, everything feels a little cheap as you naturally try to predict how they accomplish these feats, only to find out that the ways they do them are tantamount impossible.

Overall, it's an enjoyable enough film, but it does try to be a little too clever for its own good and therefore ends up being too unbelievable to be credible.

Now You See Me 2 wins the title for most unnecessary sequel, maybe of all time. The first film was a surprise with decent twists and performances. It was a success, apparently to the point where the studio thought the audience needed more. We didn't and this film doesn't really offer anything new and it expects us to really be invested in these characters and their story. Yet neither of these things are really compelling enough for a second go-around. As a result, this sequel just manages to be serviceable.

The Horsemen are in hiding and the FBI are on the hunt for them. It's been over a year and now the stage is set for their triumphant return. Just when they reappear in the limelight, the trick seems to be on them. Their entire stage was hijacked and they find themselves at the mercy of Walter, a mad genius who needs their skills to steal a microchip. In this battle of wits, which magician has the upper hand?

I begged my wife to see The Conjuring 2, but she was terrified of the original and absolutely did not want to see the sequel in theatres. Double that for the fantasy adventure film Warcraft, so we were stuck seeing the magic heist flick Now You See Me 2...why this wasn't called Now You Don't, me and millions of others apparently will never know. Most of the cast has returned with the exception of Isla Fisher and Mélanie Laurent, with the former disappearance explained away with a few bits of dialogue. In her place we have Lizzy Caplan, who seems a lot more at ease with the cast and the material. One of the welcomed additions to this sequel.

While the original was somewhat refreshing, this one treads the same waters. I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns the original offered us, here everything is telegraphed and predicted a few scenes beforehand. Thus the magic is gone, to a degree. The spectacle is still there is some sequences, yet the revelation is timid. I had to stop thinking about logic a lot of times in order to enjoy the spectacle. One sequence involving the team throwing a card between each other to keep it hidden from people inspecting them, was really well done. But why do they need to throw it to each other? Why not just have one of them keep it and continuously hide it? I don't know. Double goes for a plot hole that I simply do not understand involving a fake chip and the real one. NYSM2 doesn't bother to explain much that makes sense and instead tries to explain what we already know.

As I said before, Caplan is the one good addition the film does. Most of the cast seems to sleepwalk through their roles, especially Eisenberg. The second new addition is Daniel Radcliffe, who despite playing a "magician" does his best to shed that Harry Potter persona. Between his role in Horns, here and the upcoming Swiss Army Man, I hope he manages to do it. NYSM2 is again, a pointless sequel that manages to entertain enough to warrant a view if you're a fan of the original.

I must admit that I never heard of Now You See Me, and Now You See Me 2 until last week, May 2022. I bought the DVD of the first movie and loved it. Everyone in it was SO entertaining! So, I bought the sequel which arrived today.

While it has almost the same cast, Isla Fisher Is missing. Her vivacious personality is sorely missing. I had never seen her until I saw the movie, and I really liked her. So, I'm sorry she's gone. Her replacement isn't but, just not as good. I'm also sorry that I already know who was pulling the strings from the first movie.

The biggest flaw, in my opinion, is that we are walked through all their "tricks" this time, leaving the wonder that went with the first movie. I enjoyed trying to figure out how they did things, even missing the fact that some things had been set ups. They left that to the end in the first movie.

The things I missed most were the shows they put on for audiences in the first movie, and the camaraderie that they shared. Both are missing here.

All in all, the movie was a disappointment.

I could have written this review for 'Now You See Me I', as my appreciation for Tyler's work started there, but I thought I'd skip it, as he outdid himself in the second part. Yes, the NYSM films are arguably one of the most plot hole ridden franchises in Hollywood (not speaking about the non-decision if magic now is actually an existing thing or not), but strangely I found that after watching the first one and simply accepting the aforementioned fact I was able to really enjoy the second one. And I will re-view the first one as well with this attitude. Those are simply enjoyable films with good actors, nice scenery and lighthearted stories. But I want to direct your focus on something else I rarely read about here: The music by Brian Tyler. You may say about him what you want, but he really created an exception here. In our times, real pop-rock drums (I am not talking programmed drums and loops) as addition to orchestral music have fallen out of grace - Tyler was one of the first to bring them back. And boy, he knows how. In my world, the NYSM score is one of the most inventive soundtracks of our time. Not only does Tyler create a really powerful combination of orchestral and pop/rock music, he also manages to deliver a theme (or leitmotif) one is able to whistle after leaving the theater - also something that is not standard anymore, as soundtracks have become more like acoustic wallpaper these days. The music is really versatile in the most profound way. Just listen to 'The Setup' as a prime example. He morphs through all kinds of style from pop, rock, soul, swing and jazz in one single piece. And his real drums lend a power to the music that is unprecedented. Others have also started to incorporate this style of drumming in their music, but never as virtuosic as Tyler does here. If you like popcorn flicks, give the NYSMs try, and if you're into movie scores, keep your ears open. An oh, by the way: Listen to 'Can you dig it', his end title version of 'Iron Man 3' - it's right up there on the same level.

While the previous film was full of intrigue, mystery, and revelations, this film is a pale comparison to it's prequel. With considerably less action and more talk, the first half of the film manages to bore the audience. As well, this film gives off the feeling of trying too hard to be like the first one that it just falls short.

The acting is fine enough for the Horsemen, as they all reprise their roles. I did like Isla Fisher and her character, but unfortunately she got replaced by Lizzy Caplan, who isn't so bad either. I had a problem with Radcliffe's character. He was too weird, and his background was not very comprehensive. I also found out how short he actually is in this film. In addition, the film introduces Merritt's twin brother, Chase, played by Woody Harrelson. That was another no-no. Though the editing was done well enough between the two characters, the hair on 'Chase' was very obviously a wig which was unnerving. Needless to say, I found that the new characters were not a great addition.

As for the narrative, it kind of continues the story from the first film, but not in as much detail. As well, there are more elements involved in this film that detracts attention away from the main plot. This is what made it messy; with too many things going on the audience doesn't know which to focus on. And with no focus, the narrative just becomes jumbled up.

The effects are cool as usual. I especially liked the scene where they're tossing a card to each other. Visuals and coordination are nicely done there, and managed to engage the audience.

The ending felt a little too deja vu from the first one. As mentioned, it tries too hard to be like its predecessor that it just destroys itself. I'm not saying the film is not enjoyable, but while it isn't totally horrible, there is too much dialogue and not enough action. I'd liked to have seen more tricks, and less new characters who hardly had any foundation.