Plot: What’s it about?
I admit to not being a fan of the original Now you see me, but the film was something of a surprise hit in the summer of 2013. It seemed to come out of nowhere and showed strong legs during the busy summer season. While I can’t understand why audiences seemed to flock to it, a sequel seemed inevitable. It should be noted that discussing the plot of this sequel will reveal specifics about the first film. To be perfectly honest, there are far too many twists in the plot that it hardly matters what I write. Still, I tread the waters carefully. With Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) now behind bars, he’s trying to seek revenge on the crew that put him there in the first place. The cast is mostly all here. We get Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco and Marc Ruffalo. However, Lizzy Caplan replaces Isla Fisher who had to drop out due to her pregnancy. Daniel Radcliffe joins the crew this time as well. Radcliffe plays Walter Mabry, he’s a tech prodigy who threatens the Four Horsemen into pulling off a nearly impossible heist. I’ve only touched the surface of the plot, but that’s because there’s only so much I can explain in this review without making my head spin. There are various twists and turns here and double-crosses within double-crosses.
I feel it’s safe to say that if you were on board with the first film then you will be here as well. Though there may be some who have the “fool me once…” type of mindset and don’t want to be duped into it again. I can see both sides of that argument. Truthfully, I found this sequel a touch more enjoyable than the first outing if only because I had more an idea of what to expect. I also kept my expectations lower since the first film did little for me. The plot is overly convoluted at times, but I also had a hard time caring about much of it. I haven’t even touched on the film’s exhausting 129 minute running time. It often lags to the point where one might be reaching for the remote control. When all is said and done, there’s very little substance to the film. It doesn’t add up to much of anything. A third film has already been greenlit, but I hope they get a new bag of tricks for the third outing.
Video: How’s it look?
We’re now starting the process of having new to the format films show up on 4K. Now You See Me 2 features a picture that’s near flawless.he picture is near flawless. I guess that’s a double edged sword. Summit Entertaiment presents Now You See Me 2 in a near perfect 2.40:1 AVC HD image. Detail is superb, contrast and black levels are spot on with no sign of compression artifacts or the like. Colors sizzle with bold and bright scenes that make you feel like you’re in the audience at a Vegas show. Simply put, aside from a few minor blips in a couple of scenes – this is what we’ve come to expect. Viewers will not be disappointed.
Audio: How’s it sound?
As is the case with Ultra HD/4K titles, the sound mix has been given a Dolby Atmos mix for the 4K version. I didn’t notice too much of a difference between this and the Blu-ray (which has the DTS HD Master Audio track). Now, admittedly, I wasn’t expecting such a robust mix out of this film, but the soundtrack does have a few moments that really made me take notice. Vocals and dialogue are all top notch, there’s not the slightest bit of distortion to be heard. What really made my head turn were the use of the surrounds. There’s actually a pretty decent car chase scene thrown in for good measure and though the LFE weren’t too involved, I found a few scenes where I felt a bit of bass. A top notch effort here, for sure.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – Director Jon M. Chu gives a pretty standard commentary track with the usual content about the shoot, the cast (of course) and making a sequel. I did’t find it particularly engaging, but hard core fans might get a few tidbits here and there.
- The Art of the Ensemble – In case you can’t tell by the cover art or anything else pertaining to this movie, there are a lot of stars in the mix. We learn that no one really stands out above the others (yeah, right) and we get comments from most all involved telling us the same.
- You Can’t Look Away – A brief look at some of the “breathtaking” visuals of the movie.
- Bringing Magic to Life – Do you believe in magic? No? Well maybe this featurette will convince you…
The Bottom Line
Fans of the first film might get more out of this second chapter than I did. It’s not that it’s terrible. It just feels unnecessary and empty by the time the end credits roll.
