You'll Believe

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2013)

Magic has returned to the silver screen, and it comes in the form of the original (NOT based off of a book; when was the last time that happened?) movie Now You See Me. In this new thriller, four former street magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco) are brought together to pull off the heist of a lifetime, all while putting on a performance that no one will ever forget. When a level-headed woman from Interpol (Mélanie Laurent), a frazzled FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo), and a former entertainer turned magic buster (Morgan Freeman) start to hunt them down, the Four Horsemen must pull out all their tricks in order to elude them, and to be able to perform their greatest spectacle of all.
Not only is this film extremely entertaining, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. What is amazing about this movie, is that it perfectly reflects the feelings experienced at a true magic show; the feeling of awe, the questioning of how it is done, the expectation of what will happen next, and the thrill of not being denied the enjoyment of a good, quality, show.
There are multiple twists in this movie, yet none of them cause the audience to despise the surprises (unlike the recent disappointment of a good number of movie goers when they met Trevor from Iron Man 3). The story line has an impeccable balance of thrill and comedy, where one moment the atmosphere will be tense during an interrogation, and the next the mind reading member of the group (Harrelson) will start giving a therapy session to the two agents about their relationship, although they just met.
There have been many complaints about unanswered questions left by the movie, though perhaps that is the point. Who hasn't left a magic show with a question or two buzzing around in their mind? And can we say . . . sequel? Taking a break from wizards and spells (looking at you, Harry) Now You See Me reintroduces the art of the true magician, and their amazing ability to enchant us with their clever tricks and performances. With a spellbinding cast and mesmerizing storyline, Now You See Me will make you believe in magic once again.