Review: Now You See Me

Release Date:  May 31, 2013

Running Time: About 105 minutes
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman

Who to see it with: Someone who believes in magic!

David:

Now You See Me follows a group of skilled magicians and mentalists as they pull off an insane magic trick. These magicians are all great individual performers but are pulled together, and forced to work as a team, for this one gig. The main strength of the movie is the cast of amazing characters. Eisenberg is the egotistical leader, Fisher is the skilled escape artist, Harrison is an amazing mentalist, and Franco is the slight of hand street magician.  They all put in great performances and their interactions and development as a team are a joy to watch. The story is also a lot of fun--especially the magic acts. They've perfectly captured the look and feel of a vegas-style magic show and the tricks are imaginative and funny. But, the movie's not perfect. Although the magic tricks are fun to watch, the use of CG can be distracting.  It felt difficult to suspend your disbelief when you're watching an obviously computer generated trick. Also, the ending of the movie seems forced and contrived. If feels like the film constantly tried to outdo the previous trick so in the end--for the final "trick"--they wanted something no one could see. They succeeded but, at the same time, it doesn't make much sense. Don't get me wrong, this is a fun summer movie with some great performances and an enjoyable story. Now You See Me is on the cusp of a see it, but I think you should

Rent it.