Take 45: Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

In Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, on the outs with the rest of the Horseman, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenburg) receives mysterious tarot card regarding a diamond heist and recruits a new team of illusionist to help him. The other Horseman who, unbeknownst to Atlas, have also received their own cards which results in a team-up between the old, estranged team and the new as they square off on a globetrotting adventure against an evil heiress, Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike) and her corrupt empire for possession of “The Heart Diamond”.

The cast is pretty large. In addition to Jesse Eisenberg are returning players Woody Harrelson as mentalist, Merritt McKinney, Dave Franco as card magician Jack Wilder, Isla Fisher as escape artist and new mother, Henley Reeves, Lizzy Caplan as Lula , mistress of misdirection. Even Morgan Freeman and Marc Ruffalo even reprise their roles. And then there are the newcomers: Dominic Sessa, as Bosco, perpetual thorn in Atlas’s side and ace at impersonation, Ariana Greenbalt as June Rouclere who speicalized in acrobatics and sleight of hand, and Charlie, as the brains who preferred working behind the scenes. It trully is an ensamble, no one actor/character outshining the rest. I was partial to Harrelson’s Merritt, though. There is a lot of smugness and arrogance here- rightly so because these characters are all really good at what the do, but Harreleson manages to do so in a way that is still really charming. I also really enjoyed Lula who doesn’t appear until about halfway through, but provides a lot of humor and is refreshing.

A refresher would have been nice- I have only seen the previous two films the one time at the theater, but it’s not vital to follow the plot. It’s pretty superficial fluff, but it’s a lot of fun. I did feel as though, like the Fast and the Furious series, it is a victim of its own success. It’s gotten to be so much bigger than what it started out as. They are freaking SUPER HEROES now, with Franco’s character literally throwing cards as weapons as if he’s Gambit! So much CGI early on, I was a bit worried. It’s a bit grandiose and took me a little time to get used to it, but once I see that the biggness is just the evolution, I was able to enjoy if for what it is.

Overall, I had fun. These movies aren’t suppose to be that deep and it’s definitely not, but watching it takes me back to being a kid and being fascinated by magic. Speaking of which, I am still trying to figure out how Merritt (Harrleson) managed to know my card in the card trick he did in the movie… crazy! I would be fine if it ended with this one, but based on the ending, that’s not the intent as the ending was very much a setup for more. Though not needed, I can’t say that I won’t be there for more. I guess I am under their spell.

My score: 7.6

Now, time for you to work your own magic and leave a comment. And until next time…