A Lot Of Flash But Too Little Substance

Rating: 5/10 (5 March 2017)

Movies about magic have always intrigued me. I consider "The Prestige" to be one of my favorite movies of all-time. There is just something about the concept of "magic" that I think really translates well into the cinema. Unfortunately, "Now You See Me" doesn't take full advantage of those possibilities.
For a basic plot summary, this film sees a famous magician (Jesse Eisenberg), an up-and- coming conjurer (Dave Franco), a beautiful stage performer (Isla Fisher), and a mentalist (Woody Harrelson) team up to create the greatest performance of magic ever seen. When they supposedly rob a bank through the use of magic, they draw the interest of an investigator (Mark Ruffalo) and a "magician debunker" (Morgan Freeman) to try and find out just what the heck is going on.
"Now You See Me" is a movie filled with a lot of "flash". The chemistry between the actors is very entertaining, the action scenes are visually impressive, and the film moves along at a brisk case. Those watching it in theaters were likely consuming a lot of popcorn and getting a large number of thrills from the experiences.
The trouble is (and what cements this movie as decidedly average) that the flick promises far too much than what it can actually deliver. For example, "The Prestige" promises to bend the mind but then actually does it. Here, director Louis Leterrier promises similar things (he sets up the movie like it will amaze you in the end), but instead just provides a ho-hum ending.
Thus, it isn't so much that the film is bad, per se, but rather that it promises the world and only delivers a sliver. You might like it for the pizazz and crackling dialogue/action, but don't expect anything mind-blowing (confusion is more of the end result).