Now You See Me 2

A SCREEN ZEALOTS REVIEW www.screenzealots.com

Most moviegoers werent clamoring for a follow-up to 2013s smart magic heist thriller Now You See Me, but heres one of the rare instances where the sequel is actually better than the original. While viewing the first film would be helpful before seeing Now You See Me 2, its not necessary. Even newbies can follow along with this slick magic show.

The Four Horsemen are back, this time fighting the powers that be with even greater illusions. Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt (Woody Harrelson) and Jack (Dave Franco) are now joined by Lula (Lizzy Caplan, a welcome replacement for Isla Fisher as the girl Horseman). Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe) plays a tech nerd who forces the Horsemen to steal a chip ...

Not seeing what's coming to them, but overcoming is their task to complete.

I never thought a sequel would be made. Now it seems this will going to be an unstoppable franchise, we could expect more, the next one was official, especially after considering how this film fared at the box office. All the main cast returned with the new ones. I think Daniel Radcliffe was good, first time I had impression like that on him after Harry Potter series. So good to see the two legends, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. The rest of the cast was good, but nothing to praise like they have pulled off the impossible. Overall, this is a good follow-up, but not best I was looking for. Though, the writing and direction were decent with some nice Chinese...

Now You See Me (but why would you)

Stage magic and movies are very much alike. The more convincing, the better. Unfortunately the action in this film, magic tricks, sleight of hand, hypnotizing people, is simply unbelievable - in a bad way. This is not an alternate universe with different rules of physics. This is not a group of super heroes using their powers, this is not a tale of magic becoming reality, this is simply unrealistic garbage.

As for the actors, most notably we have Mark Zuckerberg (played by Lex Luthor) trying to take away the leadership of the "Horsemen" from "Jack" (played by someone without any screen presence whatsoever). Then we have a new person in the crew, an obnoxious girl, replacing someone from the prequ...

Now You See Me 2 continues the story of the Four Horsemen with new conflicts and a fresh character, Lula, but falls short of the charm and magic of the first film. While the film offers fast-paced action and a polished visual presentation, it lacks the jaw-dropping tricks that made its predecessor memorable. The story feels rushed at the start and underdeveloped in terms of character depth, particularly for the new cast. Daniel Radcliffes role as the villain feels miscast, reducing the impact of the conflict. Despite its shortcomings, the film still provides enjoyable entertainment and sets up curiosity for a possible third installment.

Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)

Rewatched in preparation for NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON'T.

Rating: C-

Pretty much all my feelings regarding the original film resurfaced here, only amplified in a negative direction. This sequel suffers from the novelty factor wearing off, as the entertainment-driven narrative feels less captivating while the runtime is factually larger. It doubles down on the "nonsensicality" of the illusions, leaping from practical magic to straight-up CGI wizardry. With major set pieces receiving the usual exposition dumps and minor tricks left unexplained, the result is a convoluted structure that prioritizes artificial spectacle over internal logic.

The characters remain shallow despite the cast's efforts. Lizzy Caplan brings a welcome energe...