Not brilliant, but not bad

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 2013)

Although this movie has no spectacular elements in it, it was overall entertaining. With a fun plot and premise centering around four street magicians united by a mystery character, the movie moved at a quick pace. These four main actors were well casted and likable, with memorable quips and sarcastic retorts. Albeit, that's really all they were: likable. They were not developed at all, but rather introduced quickly to set up the plot of the movie. The movie lacked any real conflict for these main characters that would take them from flat descriptions to more dynamic people. They conveniently eluded the police at every turn; they all survived; and they all were happy. You couldn't help but root for them, but something felt like it was missing.
Aside from the four magicians, Melanie Laurent, Mark Ruffalo's love interest was almost unbearable. I couldn't help but cringe each time her and Ruffalo interacted; it was beyond corny. At certain points, I was admittedly even laughing at it. Furthermore, at the end of the movie, the "surprise twist," was so unrealistic and impossible that it made the rest of the movie slightly more absurd. The cool plot and idea of a hidden player who united them became droll because it lost all believability with this ending. And when the characters got onto a magical merry-go-round at the end. I mean come on, really?
Take this movie at face value, and know what you're paying for. It's no cinematic genius by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a fun, light-hearted action with likable and interesting protagonists. All these elements combined to make this a nice, feel good movie. I was entertained and distracted for a solid two hours, and hey, I think that alone is worth something