Movie Review: Now You See Me 2

Call me old-fashioned, but I like it when summer movies are fun. There's just something special about entering a movie theater this time of year and getting lost in a huge, flashy spectacle of a film that's solely focused on entertaining the hell out of the audience. Now You See Me 2 falls into this often neglected camp by delivering two of the most purely exciting and joyful hours I've spent in a movie theater in recent memory.

While it may lack the unique premise of the original, Now You See Me 2 manages to be a more rewarding and interesting film than its predecessor. Writer Ed Solomon,who also co-wrote the first first installment, and director Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Step Up 2 and 3) did a great job of separating this from the first film without taking away the goofy spirit and constant misdirection that made the original a success. The magic stunts are extremely creative and visually-dazzling throughout (the heist scene in the middle of the film is the "holy shit" centerpiece scene the previous film simply didn't have) and the Four Horseman's (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Lizzy Caplan) duel with a brilliant young technology mogul (Daniel Radcliffe) makes for a much more exhilarating and suspenseful cat-and-mouse-game than their face-off with Mark Ruffalo's FBI agent in the first installment. 

However, the true catalysts of Now You See Me 2's success are the additions of Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe to this loaded cast. Veteran comedy actress and frequent scene-stealer Caplan is a noticeable improvement over the reserved Isla Fisher as the fourth member of the Fourth Horseman as she brings another wildly charismatic, smartass presence to the group. Caplan's quick wit and relentless energy makes the camaraderie and internal competition between the Four Horseman much more natural and amusing this time around.

Radcliffe is similarly brilliant as the tech-giant that blackmails the Four Horseman into using their master illusionist skills to rob a computer chip that is capable of accessing personal data off of every person in the world's cell phones. This role is a huge departure for the usually stone-serious Radcliffe and based on the quality of his performance, he clearly relished the opportunity to let loose and play this maniacal, psychotic character. The enhanced sense of fun that runs through this film probably wouldn't have been possible if Caplan and Radcliffe weren't on board.            
  
Now You See Me 2 is a much-needed reminder of why going to the movies in the summertime can be such a special experience. Studios these days are so concerned with stuffing their tentpole films with half-baked political/social messages and unwavering grit that they often forget that it's a sense of fun and wonder that makes this time of year special. Audiences looking for intellectually-simulating and/or realistic fare will be sorely disappointed, but for fans of mindless popcorn entertainment, Now You See Me 2 is an absolute delight that needs to be experienced on the big screen.   

4/5 Stars