The magic has gone.......

Rating: 4/10 (11 June 2015)

Wow, a re-paring of Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg following the successful chemistry they generated in "Zombieland", a key role for lovable, modern day everyman Mark Ruffalo, support from saucy minx Isla Fisher and gravitas provided by the old pros Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman all wrapped up in the mind-blowing setting of modern magic. What possibilities and sure to be an enjoyable film? Well actually no! The film makes lots of references to "misdirection" and that in an entirely different way can be applied to the hapless Louis Letererrier a director who would block any street if he was assigned the traffic duty. Wooden acting, no chemistry, no atmosphere, no rhythm, the crowd scenes flat and lifeless, dull and clunky action sequences ( quite surprising from the director of the first 2 "Transporter" films ) and an overall inability to present anything but a glossy empty shell of a movie. I can only assume he must be able to come in under budget. The script is lousy too and Ed Solomon the genius behind "Charlie's Angels" and Boaz Yakin creator of a series of wholly underwhelming scripts, produce a convoluted mess that at no point is clever or thrilling. At the start of the similarly themed film "The Prestige" Michael Caine's character carefully outlines how a magic trick works and the structure of the film cleverly mirrors that introduction. This script rips off that concept but fails miserably to pull off the same "trick" and simply produces a lumpy unresolved hotchpotch of nonsense about the "The Eye", moral rectitude and modern magic. The script is full of holes and a failure to develop characters. Thus the twist ending is telegraphed from the beginning by the simple minded logic of applying the laws of "the least likely". The specific magical talents of the 4 Horsemen - is Isla Fisher a man? - are not incorporated into the subsequent capers - although at one stage I was sure that Woody Harrelson was using his mind control powers to silently signal to the audience "get me out of here". Most nonsensical of all just how does an FBI agent actually fund the 3 elaborate schemes in the first place? The principle actors, especially Jesse Eisenberg who has very little to do, look extremely bored, mirroring the expression of any intelligent person who had to watch this movie. What a terrible waste of talent and heaven forbid there is actually going to be a sequel..just remember to suspend belief and active brain activity as you enter into the cinema and you'll all love that film as much as you clearly did this one.