It's a lot better than it could've been.

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2013)

I don't know about you, but I like a movie that can make me think. Hence, my love for Christopher Nolan movies. One of Nolan's best movies is The Prestige, which is a twisty tale about magicians. As a huge admirer of that movie, I have been anxiously awaiting the next great magician movie. The latest is Now You See Me, and it isn't great. But it is a great amount of fun. There isn't a boring second in the whole two hours, and in a summer filled with big budget blockbusters, it's nice to see something with a bigger brain.
The film revolves around a group of magicians called "The Four Horsemen" (Jessie Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco). During one of their shows, they somehow steal millions of dollars from a bank in France within the course of about ten seconds. How? Well, don't ask me. But that is a question that both the F.B.I. and Interpol are interested in. The two main agents following them are played by the wonderful Mark Ruffalo and Melanie Laurent, two actors I really like. Michael Caine also stars as the Horseman's financier, and Morgan Freeman also shows up as a former magician determined to bring the Horsemen down.
Going into Now You See Me, I expected it to be either really terrible or really good. With a cast as golden as this one, I would've hoped it wouldn't go wrong. It doesn't. All of the actors are having a blast, and we are with them. This is nothing but a good time from start to finish, and it will leave you guessing until the very end. The twist is impressive, even though I'm not quite sure I fully understand the motive in it.
The actor that probably stands out the most is Harrelson. Here is an actor that will always have your attention no matter what he does. Harrelson is there basically for comic relief, even though most of the actors get good lines. Eisenberg's character is a good one, even though he is basically Mark Zuckerburg in magician form.
Overall, this isn't even the best movie of the summer, so summer has been pretty good. I actually do prefer the bigger budget movies like Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness, but this is good escapism. Don't let the critics or your feelings towards the trailer fool you. You will be pleasantly surprised. It's a lot better than it could've been. It could've been disastrous, but instead it works well on the summer line-up. Go see this, and ignore that Will Smith movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I think we can all imagine how that will turn out.
B+