Promising beginnings, and then utter disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (16 June 2013)

The movie in regards to its theatrics and the way it presented itself was amazing. I particularly fell in love with the fight scenes because they were so well-executed (despite the fact that I highly doubt anyone could be held at bay for that long because his jacket was caught in the garbage disposal). When the film began I was honestly very interested in the way things would turn out -- the presence of "magic" brought a peculiar sense of wonder and curiosity to the film that is rarely reciprocated in other movies.
That said, the movie focused much too heavily on the magic and not enough on the actual characters that comprised the movie. The lack of characterization for the members of the Four Horsemen made me disinterested in them specifically and only attracted me when I saw another "trick" being performed. Nothing character wise is developed throughout the movie at all. We know Daniel is controlling because the trait is literally handed to us at the beginning. We know Jack is cheeky and young but yearning to be recognized as an equal because Daniel addresses this desire directly before handing him an order. What about Henley and Merritt? Daniel and Henley have a "thing", but it serves little to no purpose and is constantly cast aside, and Merritt is simply tossed into the guidelines of "that guy who makes all the smart quips at the right times". The movie made me disinterested in the characters as a whole because they were barely characters as opposed to clichés.
The police force was genuinely useless throughout the entire movie and only served as a foil to show how cunning and intelligent the magicians were, which was disappointing. Thaddeus had so much potential as a character yet even he was just used to explain tactics and reason things out. After all, since the police are such dunderheads, how will the audience be able to know how the Four Horsemen pulled off their schemes without Thaddeus briefly explaining it and proceeding to do nothing about it?
Even though there was so much of the movie that made an impression on me in terms of the visual effects, the interesting premise, the acting and the captivating twists and turns, all of it was deflated after the "twist ending". Everything the audience learned about Dylan was cast aside for that twist ending of "the good guy is actually the ultimate bad guy!!!" which has already been wrung out time and time again in film history. Also, he falls in love. Quite suddenly so. Not that it actually means anything in the larger concept of the film.
Overall, the movie was enjoyable despite its flaws. The only time I was significantly disappointed with it was the ending, which didn't shock me as it was supposed to but rather made me tilt my head in confusion. People should watch this movie if they want entertainment at face value, but nobody should expect a very lasting impression from it.