Hi! I just got back from watching Now You See Me 2 (NYSM2) in the cinema and may I add, it was some refreshment that I really need. The problem is in the past month I didn’t even have spare time to watch movies, I was really addicted in following the Game of Thrones, NineNine, New Girl, and The Newsroom series. So I kinda forgot how enjoyable watching a two-hours movie is, compared to the long hours of series. Oh, the level of commitment it took….
Anyway, as a sequel from Now You See Me, NYSM2 was equally enjoyable. At first I saw the rating from Rotten is pretty low, just around 40%. So I came in the cinema wondering what is so bad that could make this sequel turns low. But I honestly had a hard time pointing out the flaws in this one. Let me give some praises first. NYSM2 provides us a lot of entertaining magic with mind-blown tactics and great cast. The tick-tock conversation runs really smoothly and although the pace is pretty fast, we are still able to follow it through because of all the crisp jokes and mockings between each other. Trust me, I watched it in 11.45 PM and I did not feel the slightest sleepiness at all. The cinema was packed from the bottom to the top, everyone seems to be enjoying the movie right through the end.
What I like the most about NYSM2 is they add more entertaining magic compared to the first movie. And who doesn’t like magic? as skeptical as one might be, magic can turn our heart happy., especially when it’s done by a spectacular casts ranging from Daniel Radcliffe (kyaaaa), Morgan Freeman, Jay Chou (whaaaaaat), and Jesse Eissenberg (KYAAAAA). The sweet Dave Franco and the joyful Woody Harrelson adds so much flavor in this movie. the complexities of the characters, and their egos, their personalities, and their past problems are revealed without overwhelming us.
I have to say when I first knew that Daniel Radcliffe will be in the movie, I was pretty sure that he will act mediocre-ly, knowing that he has been identified as Harry Potter so long. But surprisingly, he did a really good job, I didn’t even remember his previous role because he managed to play this nerdy, greedy, daddy-pleaser villain. Aside from the casts, of course plot is one of the most important element of the movie. And in watching NYSM2, you will be surprised by how many turns and plot twists that they have. I wasn’t even attempted to figure out the ending. It was so enjoyable and unpredictable that I don’t have any choice but to sit down, relax, and let the story bring you. You know there’s a movie which puts highlight to the fame of the casts instead of the content of the movie itself? well, this is certainly not one of them. Both the casts and the plot are the feast to our minds (and our eyes, of course!).
One thing that I didn’t like about this movie. In the previous NYSM, there was Isla Fisher playing the role Henley. And I really really liked her. She looks smart, confident, and cute, too. I can imagine her being a magician. But in NYSM2, there wasn’t enough clarification or explanation as to why she wasn’t part of The Eye anymore. It just showed that Henley resigned from the group and that’s it. It’s pretty disappointing, really. Especially because Lizzy Kaplan (as Lula) didn’t perform as good as Fisher. I get the idea that Lula was supposed to be the funny, kind of foolish or inexperienced compared to the other Horsemen, but it didn’t seem natural. It’s like she’s too childish or too foolish and I cannot imagine her being a magician. For me she seems more like goofy. Maybe the producers are looking for some funny role to add aside from the seriousness of the other characters, but I just didn’t think they made the right cut.
But as you see, it was just a minor flaw that I didn’t like. The rest of the movie was so so great! It’s definitely a four out of five star.
