Magicians have always had a reputation for being quite naff; a reputation no doubt born from the over the top stagecraft, the preponderance of velvet waistcoats and the smugness that so often hung over these entirely too pleased with themselves performers. Magic has only become cool quite recently thanks to the street magic of magicians like Dynamo, a low-key guy with outstanding talent and imagination. Now You See Me and its new sequel may think they fall into the cool magic camp but in fact everything about these films is a bit naff – they are more end of the pier than street.
The first film was a surprise hit and the second sticks steadfastly to its formula. The Horsemen, a group of magicians comprised of Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and new recruit Lula (Lizzie Caplan) are in hiding, following the bank heist they pulled off in the last movie. Their mentor, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is doing his best to keep them from being caught but a shadowy presence seems intent on exposing them.
In terms of cast, plot twists and globetrotting, the motto of the film seems to be “More is more!” as writer Ed Solomon and director Jon M. Chu tie themselves in knots cramming in as many characters and plot strands as they possibly can. Michael Caine is back, along with his villainous son Daniel Radcliffe. Then there's the utterly pointless “magic debunker” Morgan Freeman, a Chinese grandmother and grandson who are magical experts and last but not least, Woody Harrelson's preposterous turn as Merritt's curly haired brother.
Strangely enough though, while Solomon and Chu were throwing everything they had at the screen, they forgot to include much magic. Apart from a dynamic final sequence, Now You See Me 2 is extremely low on spectacle. These magicians spend much more time running around aimlessly than they do performing magic and it quickly becomes tedious. As a magical caper, it fails to pull off any of its tricks.