Now You See Me (2013)

Four magicians - nicknamed the Four Horsemen - group together at the hand of a mysterious legendary magician. They're given a list of instructions to pull off mindboggling bank heists and try to stay one step ahead of FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo).

Now You See Me looked very cool, and while watching it, I thought it was. Stylistically it takes magicians to a saavy level of glittery spectacle and dazzling showmanship in the 21st century. They tease us with pulling rabbits out of a hat except they're stealing millions of dollars in front of a live audience.

Each magician has their own bag of tricks; Jessie Eisenberg is The Lover, Isla Fisher is the High Priestess, Dave Franco is Death, and Woody Harrelson is The Hermit. The cast made up of plenty fan favorites across the board from the previously mentioned young actors to eternally cool veterans Michael and Caine and Morgan Freeman.  But, we don't really know much about each individual character. The beginning is spent showcasing each of their talents, but there isn't much room left to explore who they are as actual characters. Despite how individually cool each celebrity-actor is, they are a bit more like well-known personas on-screen rather than personalities I could root for.

As a romantic pair, the ego driven Mark Ruffalo and bitten by the curiosity cat Melanie Laurent as the lead investigators chasing down the Four Horseman, have magnetic chemistry. Ruffalo is the soured-non believer and Laurent faithful to the unknown, are forced not to solve the crime driven by their individual viewpoints but by the facts at hand. Do you have enough ego to believe that what they do isn't real or can you let in a little room for the impossible? What I liked most about Now You See Me is that it tempts you to ask what kind of believer are through these characters.

The movie itself on a certain level has weak staying power. Perhaps I was too much looking forward to a movie that was going to dare stand on its own; read: not be a franchise starter. Towards the middle act, I joked it would have a sequel and found there was really one in the works. I knew by that little tidbit the ending wouldn't be conclusive, and that was a bit of a disappointment for me. Every performance that they pull the wool over our eyes is pretty cool, I just wish that everything wasn't revealed. How can you believe in magic when the science of it is thrown into our faces.

In fact, I felt like this thriller beckons you to believe in magic yet reveals too much of the wizard behind the curtain and the steps his apprentices take towards success. For each magic trick, it's revealed how it was pulled off. Even though you're driven to see how the next act slams the ground running, I felt that is what kills much of the suspense.

Now You See Me is exciting for any planless Friday night. And if you're okay with this being a franchise starter - that I genuinely hope the sequel is as good or nearly better than the first - you'll like it. It's a chemistry laden film with a fine cast, exceptional action scenes, and a lengthy storyline. I just wished it was a bit more magical.

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