No one would ever mistake Louis Letterier’s “Now You See Me” for Christopher Nolan’s “The Prestige,” that’s for certain. But if not living up to the Nolan standard was a crime punishable by death in Hollywood, we’d have corpses lining Sunset Boulevard.
We pretty much know the drill in these magic movies by now and have come to expect the unexpected. However, even if you know that the rug is going to get pulled out from underneath you, that’s better than watching a mind-numbing formulaic genre pic. ”Now You See Me” at least engages the audience and tries to get them guessing. Granted, the film is only about as deep as the bag of popcorn. But at least it’s something!
Leterrier does a half-decent job of playing to the film’s strengths: the off-color comedic stylings of Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, the allure of Isla Fisher and Dave Franco, and that singular authority commanded by Morgan Freeman when he comes into the frame. Less effective is the FBI/Interpol duo of Mark Ruffalo and Melanie Laurent that try to get to the bottom of the magic. They’re an awkward pairing made worse by their segueing into a dumb and forced romance. (Sorry to semi-spoil, but you’ll see it coming the second they make eye contact.)
The film packs enough twists and turns to stay captivating and interesting even through the duller Ruffalo/Laurent segments. Leterrier is smart enough not to dwell on the novelty and gimmickry of magic as audiences have been numbed to its power thanks to decades of CGI; his emphasis on the thrill and the audacity is what makes “Now You See Me” such fun. Though it takes one surprise twist too many, it’s still a highly enjoyable movie that makes for great summer entertainment. The fact that such a feat is accomplished with little more than a well-imagined story is quite magical indeed. B / 
