‘Now You See Me 2‘, released in 2016, provides some of the arguments for why series that try to squeeze as much of the success of a more successful original film as possible are often not a good idea. Two of the three screenwriters of the 2013 first film reunited to write this sequel, which brings the same heroes to the screen, or, I should say, almost the same hero, because the female lead actress has been changed. The director of the first series was also no longer available, or perhaps did not want to continue, and the producers hired the services of Jon M. Chu, a talented director by the way, whose next two films would be even more interesting, but who was not too convincing here, in my opinion. Benefiting from an excellent cast, they brought back to the screen the story of the four show magicians who use their talents not only for entertainment but also for anti-corporate actions and sometimes, when forced, for seemingly impossible heists. ‘Now You See Me‘ number one managed to be a quality action comedy with likable characters and quite original and clearly exposed action. ‘Now You See Me 2‘ tries the same but everything seems to be lower on the scale of success. The story is more complicated, not all the scenes of theft and action are clear, the jokes touch more seldom, and the heroes also seem a little more tired, even if the cast gets reinforcements. The main problem in my opinion – the script.
In the opening scene of the film, we learn that Dylan Rhodes (FBI agent and handler of the Four Horsemen) has personal reasons to fear the demystifier of the illusionists, Thaddeus, even though he is now in prison. An attempt to uncover the corporate machinations of a large tech firm fails, and the four knights find themselves magically transported from London to Macau. Those who have control over the persons and actions of the four are asking them to pull off one more of those hits that only they are capable of. The stake is a kind of digital key that would allow access to any computer in this world. The heist scene is central, as in any heist movie, but the adventures only get more complicated from here.
Most of the main characters from the first series also return in ‘Now You See Me 2‘. Woody Harrelson‘s character even finds a twin brother and the actor gets to play a double role. Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo and Dave Franco reprise their roles and Lizzy Caplan is an excellent stand-in for the female quartet. Daniel Radcliffe is a suitable ‘bad guy’ in the role. Seeing Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman separately or together (in their sixth out of seven screen collaborations so far) is always a pleasure, even if their roles are not very generous this time. It is visible that the producers have invested in taking us to exotic places or to the metropolis of London. Why does ‘Now You See Me 2‘ still not seem to work as well as the original ‘Now You See Me’? One of the differences is in the way illusionis numbers are explained. Or rather in the way they are not explained, because the key scene of the film is based on … the magic of CGI effects rather than the supposed talents of the protagonists. The ‘magic revealed’ effect is lost, and viewers get nothing new in return. The result is that everything is OK, the production is technically at least as good as in the first film, but the effect on the audience is diminished. At least in my case. There are rumors that ‘Now You See Me 3’ is in the works. If the scriptwriters of the third series don’t have new tricks up their sleeves, then maybe they should think again. A show that just repeats old tricks has less chance of success. This is both true in magician shows and in movies.