Film review: Now You See Me 2 (3 out of 5)

Although it got mixed critical reviews, I really enjoyed the first Now You See Me film in 2013.
Now You See Me 2Now You See Me 2
Now You See Me 2

It had a decent plot, with a twist that I don’t mind admitting I didn’t see coming.

But I never expected a sequel as all the plot strands seemed to be wrapped up neatly.

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Now You See Me 2 is a decent enough yarn and holds the attention but simply doesn’t match the first movie.

Most of the original cast are back, so that’s good news for Mark Ruffalo and Morgan Freeman fans like me.

But at the start of the film there are only three of the Four Horsemen - the quartet of magicians, with an extra talent for theft, we met first time round.

Actress Isla Fisher didn’t return so we hear that her character decided to move on.

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Instead Lizzy Caplan joins the team as a feisty magician, Lula.

The storyline is a year on from the first film and the Horsemen are biding their time before making their presence known again .

J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are honing their skills, waiting for the latest instructions from their unknown benefactors, The Eye.

But when they are called into action, along with Lula, it all goes wrong and they face a dangerous mission that will require all their skills and ingenuity to enable them to survive.

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Daniel Radcliffe joins the cast, in a slightly different role than we’ve seen him in before and Michael Caine makes a return appearance.

There’s plenty of amazing effects and illusions and the plot cracks on at a decent pace.

But the wow factor is missing and, while many of the ‘tricks’. are explained there’s a lot that isn’t.

In the end it feels like a magical Mission: Impossible which sets things up for yet another sequel.

Film details: Now You See me 2 (12A) 129mins

Director: Jon M. Chu

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson

Screening courtesy of Horsham Capitol