Did you forget this movie came out already? It was a big hit it's debut week at the box office, but does anyone really remember it, anymore? I mean, I've seen it and I kind of already forgot about it. Not that it's a bad movie, because it's not, at all, it's just going to, unfortunately, slip by everyone who didn't see it the first week or two and fade into the obscurity of Redbox. Now You See Me is a different kind of magician film. Unlike The Prestige or The Illusionist, this film, I think, is easier to sell than any other. A group of magicians use their illusions as a cover for robbing banks? Hell yeah! Sign me up! I mean, no matter what, it's going to be better than The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.
Now You See Me tells the story of a group of four different magicians with different abilities: Jesse Eisenberg (the leader), Woody Harrelson (the hypnotist), Isla Fisher (the escape artist) and Dave Franco (the pickpocket). These four are roped in by a mysterious fifth party in order to plan out a series of intricate heists. Mark Ruffalo stars along side the troupe as the FBI agent tasked with bringing this magical four down. Unfortunately, they're always one step ahead of the guy. The main key in magic is misdirection, which is perfect in robbing banks. When they've got you looking over here, they're making their move over there and you never saw a thing.
The whole film you're sitting there trying to figure it out yourself. You're trying to put yourself a step ahead, thinking you're keeping an eye on their misdirection when in reality, there's no way you could figure it out. I tried my damndest and to the film's credit, they got me. I honestly didn't see it coming. Abracadabra alakazam. I mean, there's even a scene in the very beginning where they pull a card trick on you, the audience member, and they get everyone in the theater. All of those types of elements and scenes in the film are what make it work.
What hinders the film a little bit are the bits of unbelievability. Morgan Freeman plays an exiled Magician who makes a living by spoiling the secrets behind magic's most sacred tricks. During their first heist, the fantastic four seemingly transport a guy from Las Vegas to his bank in Paris, steal the money, lock him in the vault, and release the cash upon the audience. Later, Freeman explains each part of the trick so that it now makes sense. But, there's still a lot of little questions that follow the explanation. How did he do that part? How did she do that? And so on and so forth. The unexplained elements of the trick are the ones that couldn't possibly have happened on a live stage. It's movie magic and believability has to be chopped at the door. Keep your mind open because it is a lot like a magic trick. It's fake. You know it's fake. But, you're not sure how they did it, so you turn that part of your brain off and just enjoy the show.
There's also not a lot of character work here, either. Most are just stock characters these actors have already played well in different films in the past. Eisenberg is the fast-talking dickhole, and he's great at it. Harrelson is the manipulative comic relief- yup, great too. It's Fisher and Franco who aren't really given much of anything to do in the film other than what the plan dictates they bring to the table. The closest we're given to actual character development is the relationship between Mark Ruffalo and the female Interpol agent sent from France to help out with the investigation. But, it's not a character driven film. It's a mystery. It's a magic trick. It's a fun little distraction from life with a nice little twist at the end. This is where the film is perfect. Once you see it, if you can turn your brain off, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. But once your brain turns back on, Now You See Me will fade from your memory swiftly only to be remembered as that one magic movie I saw that one time a few years ago.
B-
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