Now You See Me
3/4
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine
Rated PG-13 for Language, Some Action and Sexual Content
Nevermind. It doesn't matter. Louis Leterrier and his cast have set out to make a thriller that keeps us guessing, and they do that. It's not perfect, in fact it's almost flawed enough to make it best to wait for DVD. But, it is entertaining.
Four magicians, arrogant J. Daniel Atlas (Eisenberg), Atlas's ex-assistant turned solo performer Henley Reeves (Fisher), mentalist Merritt McKinney (Harrelson) and con man Jack Wilder (Franco), have all received tarot cards summoning them to an abandoned apartment building. Shortly thereafter, they've become The Four Horsemen, the hottest thing to hit the world of magic. For their debut performance, they have a member of their audience teleport into a bank in France and steal a fortune and give it to the audience. That arouses the suspicions of FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Ruffalo). Paired with Interpol agent Alma Dray (Laurent) and with the aid of magician debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman), Rhodes is on the trail of these modern day Robin Hoods. But his quarry is always one step ahead (if not more).
The film runs on hyperdrive from frame one, and that's both an asset and a detriment. On the positive side, it preserves the illusion of the magic (which, obviously, is crucial for a film of this kind) and doesn't give us a chance to ask questions or think about the plotholes (of which there are a few). On the down side, however, it makes it difficult to care about anyone. So when something unexpected happens, it provoked an eyebrow raise at best.
The performances are effective, but there's really no time for anyone to really act. All do their jobs, although special mention has to go to Isla Fisher. Fisher has never really impressed me with her acting ability, but she's pretty good here.
The biggest downside to the film is that Leterrier's camera moves constantly. It keeps the energy up, but it becomes overbearing. Especially when he shakes it, which leads to frustration since we can't see what is going on (thus preventing us from "oohing" and "ahhing" at the tricks).
The film is entertaining. There's no doubt about that. But it might be more so on DVD.
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine
Rated PG-13 for Language, Some Action and Sexual Content
The closer you look, the less you see.Magic is based on illusion or deception. But is this entertainment, or taking advantage of saps who don't know any better? There are people on both sides of the issue, and that's an issue brought up by the movie (not that it does anything with it).
Nevermind. It doesn't matter. Louis Leterrier and his cast have set out to make a thriller that keeps us guessing, and they do that. It's not perfect, in fact it's almost flawed enough to make it best to wait for DVD. But, it is entertaining.
Four magicians, arrogant J. Daniel Atlas (Eisenberg), Atlas's ex-assistant turned solo performer Henley Reeves (Fisher), mentalist Merritt McKinney (Harrelson) and con man Jack Wilder (Franco), have all received tarot cards summoning them to an abandoned apartment building. Shortly thereafter, they've become The Four Horsemen, the hottest thing to hit the world of magic. For their debut performance, they have a member of their audience teleport into a bank in France and steal a fortune and give it to the audience. That arouses the suspicions of FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Ruffalo). Paired with Interpol agent Alma Dray (Laurent) and with the aid of magician debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman), Rhodes is on the trail of these modern day Robin Hoods. But his quarry is always one step ahead (if not more).
The film runs on hyperdrive from frame one, and that's both an asset and a detriment. On the positive side, it preserves the illusion of the magic (which, obviously, is crucial for a film of this kind) and doesn't give us a chance to ask questions or think about the plotholes (of which there are a few). On the down side, however, it makes it difficult to care about anyone. So when something unexpected happens, it provoked an eyebrow raise at best.
The performances are effective, but there's really no time for anyone to really act. All do their jobs, although special mention has to go to Isla Fisher. Fisher has never really impressed me with her acting ability, but she's pretty good here.
The biggest downside to the film is that Leterrier's camera moves constantly. It keeps the energy up, but it becomes overbearing. Especially when he shakes it, which leads to frustration since we can't see what is going on (thus preventing us from "oohing" and "ahhing" at the tricks).
The film is entertaining. There's no doubt about that. But it might be more so on DVD.
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