2 stars / 4 stars
Rated PG
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fischer, Micheal Caine, and Morgan Freeman
Still Playing

My grandfather died of cancer several years ago. I loved him - he was my role model growing up. He was also, and still is, the only member of my family who ever worked in Entertainment. I thought he was the coolest guy ever - because for more than sixty years, he worked as a magician.

I've always loved magic, and I've always loved movies. So when I saw the trailer for "Now You See Me", I instantly got very excited. After seeing the movie, I have to say I enjoyed it. But not because it was a good movie - because I love magic, and seeing Jesse Eisenberg as the only character he ever plays. I liked the movie for it's flashy spectacle, acting, and smarts. But it's not enough to justify the lack of classic movie magic.

A quartet of master magicians - who call themselves "The Four Horsemen" (Eisenberg, Harrelson, Fischer and Franco) - stage an elaborate show in Las Vegas where the final trick involves them stealing $3.2 million euros and showering their audience with money. Immeadiately intrigued, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is assigned to work with an Interpol agent from France (Melanie Laurent) to figure up what these illusionists are up to, why they're doing it, and what's coming next. The only challenge is - the more Rhodes thinks he can see, the easier they can be fooled.

The major problem with the movie is that a lot of the film is clearly an illusion - so at the end of the movie, nobody really cares. The actors have gripping portrayals of these characters in the cat-and-mouse-and-cheese game, but we are never invested into who they are or why they matter. The movie instead focuses on the magic tricks and chase scenes - and while they look spectacular - they look more like skits of each character's incomplete story.

As for the "dazzle" effect of the movie, the reason people don't care about the magic is because it's IN A MOVIE. Because the tricks are on a screen, we know it's all CGI and camera work, so we don't believe it's real. Because the audience in the theatre can't suspend their disbelief, nobody cares what's going on, and the magic is literally gone.

As a whole, the movie is all smoke and mirrors. The try to cover everything up, and the movie has a really awful twist at the end. I enjoyed the movie because I love magic and much of the cast. But I enjoyed it for my stupidity - you won't enjoy it because you won't be interested by the action. There's no illusion at play in "Now You See Me" - because after reading this, now you won't.

By: Tyler Collins