Writer: Dzamira Dzafri

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: "Ocean’s Eleven" and "Zodiac"

Early reviews from the U.S. have surfaced on the internet that contained opinions like "this is a pile of dung" or "you would probably regret watching it" but their minds must have been hazy while they were watching because this movie was nothing but incredible to watch.

While trying to understand their opinions, the reviewers did make a good point. This movie probably wouldn't reach up to the standards of higher tier filmmaking like if you were to watch a film directed by David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, or even Quentin Tarantino. But if you were looking for a film that contained a heavy dose of entertainment every step of the way that contained both cleverness and excitement, "Now You See Me" has all that and more.

"Now You See Me" had the mystery that would keep you guessing until the end with their flamboyant magic illusions and the classic 'whodunnit' cop-chase-bad-guys story as you mostly watch the movie through Mark Ruffalo's character's eyes, and yes, they do reveal how they do most of their tricks!

But this movie isn't a just magic show, though it does have plenty and if you're already fascinated with magic illusions (and who isn't?) and you love a good guessing game this movie had fit both of those things really well.

While the film might seem like the movie was mostly in the eye of the magicians in the beginning and the trailers, Mark Ruffalo's character Dylan Rhodes and Melanie Laurent's character Alma Dray seemed to have the bigger roles, since the movie was about the cops trying to catch up to the magicians. (Their first trick was robbing a bank amongst other things.)

Even though Ruffalo might have had the upper hand at playing the flawed but lovable lead character, the four magicians with the stunning and creative movie introductions are also a force to be reckoned with and you will certainly enjoy the whole cast as they are.

Oscar-nominated Jesse Eisenberg plays the obnoxious Daniel Atlas, but the actor couldn't get rid of his awkward and fast-talking charm completely though he still does a fine job. Woody Harrelson played Merrit McKinney who could hypnotise and play with minds, and like in "Zombieland" and "The Hunger Games" he still had a sort of comedic arrogance, so it was nice that the movie gave the actors a chance to play what they were comfortable as.

Isla Fisher's character was slightly boring but her characters magic skills are extraordinary, though it might have used too much CGI at some point.

What we needed more was Dave Franco's character Jack Wilder, his role was pretty small but his screen presence is loved as he presented his own subtle charm to it. He also had some great stunts and fight scenes.

It might seem like they have less space to have character development but trust us when we say that it really isn't that important as there is already plenty of things in the movie to be happy about. If it had more of the characters for us to love, it would have gotten five stars instead of four and a half, but it seriously isn't all that important when it came to this film.

The only other thing which wasn't really up to par was how they had a lot of action sequences. Fans of them might enjoy them more but it might have seemed like this film was overly ambitious and the only time the film went a little dull was during a car chase scene, which might sound outrageous to action fans everywhere.

They also had an outstanding supporting cast like Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman and they all play good parts in the movie. And if Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman agreed to act in this film then you know this movie is worth something.

To write about the film, even without revealing too much, is quite difficult because it might be too much to put in words but in conclusion, this movie is worth a watch, or two, or three. While it might not be a straightforward classic it just might have a good following later on. If the film worked more on the characters, it might have been absolutely perfect.

Cinema Online, 29 May 2013