Fun to watch, just not too closely.

Rating: 7/10 (13 June 2013)

"I was a hundred and forty million dollar distraction?"
Distractions are key to magic tricks, diverting attention to successfully pull off illusions. Now You See Me is filled with great distractions that attempt to hide obvious flaws within the plot and characters. However, the big twist (which is to be expected in a film centered around magic) is a good enough final act to make the film superficially entertaining and enjoyable.
The film has a wide variety of cast members, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine. In the film, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine's characters are portrayed negatively, which is a bit off seeing these old gents play personas that are far from their usual, likable statures. However, Morgan Freeman still gets his scenes of explaining exactly what is going on at the moment. The four magicians (Eisenberg, Harrelson, Fisher, and Franco) aren't very interesting as characters, mainly because they aren't given the chance. The film jumps back and forth between the escaping artists and the FBI, Dylan Rhodes and Alma Dray (Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent), that it becomes confusing as to who the main protagonists are. The way the film is put together limits character development, which is why even by the end of the film I found myself not caring about the magicians whatsoever. Their over-the-top personalities are smart distractions for the lack of character development.
Story wise, the film is pretty much one big setup for the final plot twist. The viewer isn't told exactly what the motivations are for the magicians to continuously break the law. Therefore, it becomes slightly confusing as to why the magicians would abandon their successful lives in Las Vegas to become fugitives. The act of leaving their elegant lives goes directly against their personalities - street performers (who obviously love the attention) finally get their own Las Vegas show only to throw it all away. It seems as though even the magicians themselves lack information as to what the end goal holds for them. Perhaps if the viewer is shown that the magicians care more about being the best illusionists rather than having an endless amount of cash, their conflict throughout the film would be a bit more believable. Showing them to be con artists and thieves in the beginning of the film (both which have the end goal of making easy money) doesn't really help the story. But, the twists are elaborate enough to distract from the holes in the plot.
The chemistry between Dylan and Alma, along with the action and chase scenes, round out the film for a wide range of audience members. While the film isn't focused on action, the chase scene of Dave Franco's character running from Dylan has interesting choreography and a good amount of suspense. Other similar scenes demonstrate that the film looks great visually. However, the CGI makes some of the illusions look fictitious, even though the film does not cross over into the realm of fantasy or sci-fi like The Prestige. In addition, a number of scenes are filled with real life impossibilities. It is important to note that Now You See Me can be best enjoyed by following the big picture rather than paying too close attention to the plot and character development. Ironically, the closer you look, the less there really is to see.
So in a way, the film with a budget of $75 million is a $10 distraction for people who want to have a fun time with magic. Sure the plot and some of the characters are trivial, but that doesn't mean that the film can't be entertaining - and it is. And that's what really matters.