‘Now You See Me 2’

An illusionist, a hypnotist, a prestidigitator and an escape artist walk into a New York apartment and that’s the beginning of ‘Now You See Me’ (2013). Three years later in real time but a little over a year on in the film, the sequel sees Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco reprise their roles as the white collar crime fighting magicians we know and love in a sequel bearing the same name.

Not bothering too much with the whereabouts of the fourth Horseman, the short of it is that Henley (Isla Fisher) has left the building and her replacement comes in the form of the super confident, decapitation-happy Lula played snarkily by Lizzy Caplan.

Their enemy this time around? Harry Potter.

Well, Daniel Radcliffe playing tech wizard Walter Mabry who beats the Four Horsemen at their own game and has them doing his bidding in Macau. And no, the irony of Harry Potter talking about science trumping magic won’t be lost on anyone and is, in fact, a solid note in a film that offers way less wow than its predecessor.

Still starring Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine with an underused Sanaa Lathan reprising Ruffalo’s shtick as a tale-chasing FBI agent, ‘Now You See Me 2’ (2016) is slick and a little sexy but not particularly surprising. Which, when considering its worth as a movie about misdirection and big reveals, is a bit of a problem.

See this if you’re fan of the first film, but understand that this time around, the plot twists are more gentle curves than pretzel.

WIN, WIN, WIN

Want to watch ‘Now You See Me 2’ (2016) or a movie of your choice at Ster-Kinekor? Win a double movie ticket by simply answering the following questions: What is the name of the newest Horseman? Send your full name and your answer via SMS to 45045, using the key word MOVIE. Competition closes Friday at 17h00.

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