Now You See Me 2 is a movie released on June 10, 2016. Along with its original, Now You See Me 1, the film features spies and agents who use magic tricks and quick deceptions to take down malicious organizations. Although the movie was a financial success, it received mixed reviews. For instance, its rating on Rotten Tomatoes is a disappointing 33%. Disapproving critics noted that the graphic effects of the movie were unrealistic and that the film as a whole failed to reach the bar set by its original, Now You See Me 1. However, other critics praised Now You See Me 2‘s impressive cast and the film’s uniqueness. The general consensus was that while the movie was not as good as its original, it was still a decent and fun movie to watch.
[SPOILER WARNING; skip the following paragraph if you want to read the review without the spoilers]
Now You See Me 2 starts with one of the protagonists’ father performing a magic show, inspiring his son, Dylan Rhodes (the protagonist), to become a magician. Shortly after, the film introduces Jack Wilder, Daniel Atlas, Merrit Mckenny, and Lula Mey, who are characters from the original film and are awaiting orders from the magician organization called the “Eye.” The protagonist Dylan Rhodes, who is also an FBI agent, is simultaneously the head of an organization named the ‘Four Horsemen,’ whose goal is to expose an evil CEO with a tech chip possessing the power to bypass internet security for power and monetary gain. The chip gains the attention of various shady investors wanting that chip for themselves and their organization. These investors, named Arthur and Chase, wants to use the Four Horsemen to work for them. To forcibly manipulate the Horsemen, Chase threatens to use a hypnotizing weapon on the Four Horsemen and make them his henchmen. The Four Horsemen, left with no other choice, decide to covertly acquire the chip for themselves to pull it away from Chase’s reach. Using their quasi-superpower magic tricks, the Horsemen completely fool the CEO and his investors. However, the antagonists put up a good fight, allowing them to capture Dylan hostage and defeat most of the Horsemen. Fortunately for the protagonists, Daniel, the only remaining Horseman, escapes with the incredible chip. He decides to expose Arthur and Chase, but he eventually gets captured by Arthur and Chase as well. Arthur and Chase bring Daniel to an airplane, where they interrogate him and his allies before throwing them out into the sky. However, as it turns out, the protagonists had set it all up so that the plane was actually on the ground — they had used rain, wind-blowers, and other devices to make it seem (from the perspective of the people inside the plane) as if the plane was in the air.
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Personally, I think the movie Now You See Me 2 was a decent movie, although there definitely could be improvements. I agree with the critics that Now You See Me 1 was better, but it was not that bad. I think the hand tricks and deceptions were interesting, but the concept lost some of its flavor after being overused. The storyline was decent, as it had a likeable protagonist, an interesting antagonist, and a coherent plot. Overall, the movie was not the best, but many enjoyed it for its unique premise and exciting action.