Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Now You See Me 2'

Written by Scott Edwards

Let’s just be clear here, magic is real, with that being said, I hope everyone loves watching magicians doing their things. I still remember wanting to learn this tricks of the trade when I was just a wee lad and I still stumble upon the boxes of my tricks when I clean out the basement. Now that I am older, I still love watching magicians perform their tricks, especially if it is a trick I learned way back when. But this also comes with a dark side, when I know that they are faking it, because as a young magician, I know that some of the aspects of the act are just fake and I want them to do better.

Eighteen months have passed and the Horsemen have yet to be seen in public after their biggest show and after taking down billionaire Arthur Tressler. Being led by their FBI counterpart Dylan Rhodes, Danny Atlas is getting fed up with hiding in the shadows and is ready for some action. Heading into the depths of the city to find out where the Eye is hiding, he gets the same answers as he does from Rhodes and is told to be patient since there will be a job on the horizon. Arriving home and meeting Lula who tries to wow him with her skill, Danny is far from impressed and gets word to head to the team's meeting spot. 

Seeing the elusive Lula with Rhodes, the team is back together with Merritt McKinney, Danny Atlas and the formerly dead Jack Wilder and they finally have a job. Heading to Octa’s new phone release party, the group is ready to expose the owner Owen Case for what his phones really do, destroy their customer's privacy. But when they take to the stage, they are given an alternative script and someone is running the show besides themselves. Needing to make a grand escape, the group makes it to the roof and finds themselves being whisked away to Macau, China, the birthplace of magic. 

Being greeted by Chase McKinney, Merritt’s twin brother, the group is sent to the doorstep of Walter Mabry who has an offer that they cannot refuse. Needing to steal a piece of technology that can interact with any computing device for the young mad man, Atlas decides to take the job, but only as a cover while he tries to contact someone from the Eye to help the group get their lives back. Since he isn't being included in the plans, Dylan Rhodes is trying to locate where his team has disappeared to and when his normal means of getting information fails, he is forced to look in another direction, to Thaddeus Bradley who was framed for the Tressler job. With word that the Horsemen are in China, the two hop a jet and make their way for the city and find exactly what they are looking for. With illusions coming at everyone from every direction, and a hatred for the Horsemen that was not expected, they must try and do the right thing, while keeping themselves from becoming just a number in the old magicians manual.

Not a bad follow up to Now You See Me, I actually think I enjoyed this one a little more. As the group has honed their skills to a crazy level, there seems to be nothing that can stop them, or so they think. I like the introduction of Walter Mabry and his ties to the previous story and how crazy the young man really is. Then we also get introduced to Dylan Rhodes and find out his backstory that was skipped in the first movie since we never knew he was the one recruiting the Horsemen to do to his will. With plenty of twists and turns throughout, you never know who is hiding in the shadows and what they are capable of, especially since their skill sets are growing. The addition of Lula was pretty fun as she was able to integrate with the group pretty flawlessly and make note that she is not an average woman. With some magic, lots of technology, threats, guns, fake limbs and a New Year’s Eve show that changes the world, this is not a bad movie to sit back and relax to overall.

---