Now You See Me

Great movie

First, let me just state the obvious before someone 'Comments' me on not stating the obvious.A) Yes, the plot is improbable. But so are the plots of most other movies. I mean, Marvel's Avengers? Not a likely series of events, starting with gamma radiation and the Incredible Hulk and ending with practically every time Iron Man flies and then lands on the ground and not getting flattened (because there is just no shock absorber or school of physics, really, that can take the pounding he gives that suit). But all in all, the Avengers was a great movie. Also, any Disney or Pixar movie can pretty much be chucked into the unlikely / improbable box and many, many of those are considered timeless classics (starts singing 'a wheema way a wheema way a wheema way a wheema way').B) Yes, the events are somewhat predictable. Again, the plot twists - and there are a few - aren't as important in this film as the way those twists are executed. They are executed masterfully and well worth the second watching. Or third.C) The storyline isn't that original, but the famous-and-probably-dead person (or people?) that stated that there are only 7 (or 5, or 11) plots in the world isn't wrong. Or that far wrong, anyway. It's not the originality of the storyline that makes this movie extremely enjoyable to watch. It's the way the each separate character disappears into the forming of the singular plot (double entendre here intended) that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts. The play is the thing, in the case of this movie, not the players. [Although they have their fun moments as well.]And now for the subjective, and therefore not as obvious (although maybe obvious to those who think on the same wavelength as I do)...(***SPOILER ALERT***)(***SPOILER ALERT***)The coolness factor with some of the simpler tricks is pretty gosh darn high. Even though some of these appeared in the trailers, they were still cool when I saw them again (and again) in the movie.Here's a few.1) The handcuff trick. I want to be the person that pulls that off in real life. Seriously. Forget flying as a super power. I want the handcuff trick.2) Speaking of flying... The flying into nothingness towards the end of the movie was a pretty cool exit scene. If I had to exit, stage right, I'd want it to look something like that.3) The whole scene in the apartment when the not-so-dead magician basically runs from the bad (good?) guys by using insanely good ducking skills and a dishrag. It was a dishrag, right? Also, his sweater, or rather, creatively removing his sweater. Awesome.4) The end scene, which I am sure ticked a few people off, I actually enjoyed. Maybe because I used to play professional poker, and it appealed to me in the same way pulling off a bluff only to find that my bluff was actually the best hand (because everyone else in the pot was on crack) does.** SUPER SPOILER ALERT**The fact that the end of the movie ends with actual magic was just cool for me. Get it? They went through this whole complicated scheme using illusion and trickery to bring fantasy into the realm of reality, when, in reality, their reward was to become part of the fantasy. Me like! Some may not, but then they would be wrong.

Loved this movie. Such a fun action movie.

Good movie

Four magicians answer a mysterious call to work for an obscure secret society. A year later, they call themselves the Four Horseman, and create havoc with their magic. Their first trick to rob a bank, drawing the FBI and Interpol into a cat and mouse game. J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are the four magicians. Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is the FBI agent.The group has great chemistry and their interactions have great energy. They have a fun time being interrogated by Mark Ruffalo. It's a promising start as a fun interesting movie that gives us a little insight into magicians. Then it turns.It becomes all flash and little substance. The heists keep coming. It's like the movie is its own trick. They keep pumping up the flash in order to disguise the lack of a good story. The final twist is just fool's gold. There is no foreshadowing. It's done for its shock value. Sadly, by then I was out of shock. All sound and fury signifying nothing.

Great film and the directors cut has a lil more that you can enjoy

Good movie

Here is a clever combination of a heist movie with magic. As you would then expect, it is quite slick in its presentation and many of its characters. There are four magicians who meet and combine forces as "The Four Horseman" to enact four great magic acts. If that sounds a bit fantastic, it's because there is slight fantasy element here - the four individuals get together hoping to become part of the "eye", a group of master magicians who protect magic. The special effects for the magic scenes are sometimes over the top (one of the floats in a bubble) but I enjoyed them. If fantasy isn't your thing though, don't worry because it's not a large part of the movie so you may still enjoy it.Besides the magic side of things, there are some good chase scenes and hand-to-hand fighting. The FBI and others pursue the magicians across a few different cities since they are stealing money; however, they don't keep the money so they are very much like Robin Hood. As you would expect/hope after looking over the cast list, the acting is quite good. My favorite was Jesse Eisenberg's magician character, though he seemed a LOT like the way he played Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network". All of the characters are well fleshed out. Throughout there is a bit of intrigue also because you know someone is behind the work fo the Four Horsemen, but it's difficult to guess who. After the initial credits, there's a final scene which makes it clear a sequel is planned.