Catch Me If You Can... no, wait, The Prestige... no, wait...

Rating: 1/10 (14 January 2015)

The plot is so contrived, and yet preposterously predictable. This is what happens when too many genres are stuffed into one story. Now You See Me attempts to be Catch Me If You Can, The Illusionist, The Prestige, an ensemble-cast vehicle, an FBI-chase thriller, and a tacked-on romance all at once.
Unfortunately it is not clever enough to carry so much dead weight. I had already solved the tricks, guessed the back-stories, and knew who was behind everything by the halfway point of the film... which is remarkable considering how absurd and inconsistent much of the writing and editing were.
I spent the latter half of the film simultaneously rolling my eyes and cracking my knuckles... so badly did I want to punch each of the smug characters in the face.
How can a film ABOUT MAGIC feel so tight and restrained? Offer so little wonder or even fun? By failing to handle any element with wit, imagination, or slight-of-hand.