Now You See Me 2 spells deja-vu

By Katherine Monk

Illusionists know we want to be deceived. It’s why we surrender our good sense to believe in magic: It makes for a better show.

Hollywood should be so lucky. Studios play the shell game at their own risk, shuffling franchises and characters before the viewer with such quick hands, we’re likely to feel deceived before we even reach the wicket.

Yet, Now You See Me 2 seemed like a good bet. The first thriller featured Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo. Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman as players in a complex heist scheme that turned magicians into Robin Hood-styled bank robbers – and so does the sequel.

An A-list cast, a story involving illusionists and a yarn that pits the FBI against a bunch of social anarchists was like watching a crisp C-note disappear beneath a nutshell. So much promise, but it doesn’t take long to lose track of the prize in a perpetually twisting plot.

We’re thrown back in time, somewhere in the late 20th century, as a young boy watches his famous father attempt to pull off a Houdini-like escape act that goes wrong. The magician perishes, the boy screams, and Morgan Freeman addresses the camera with a self-conscious twinkle.

The whole thing feels false from the start, and for a while, there’s enough to distract us from a full sense of disappointment. After all, who doesn’t want to watch Mark Ruffalo play a special investigator who also happens to be working for the other side? Or Woody Harrelson play not one, but two characters in the same film?

Even Jesse Eisenberg has a certain charm in the role of a genius prestidigitator in this version of reality where illusionists take down amoral corporate moguls. It’s the plot about a master computer chip and its ability to control the world feels altogether deja-vu.

Seems like some assortment of spies and superheroes have already carved their initials in the bleachers on that one. The James Bonds and Ethan Hunts of the world just secreted the microchips in their watch, or coin, or pen. The illusionists disguise it as a playing card.

Imagine the possibilities!

The fun factor depends on how long you’re willing to play along, because every one in this movie can do a card trick or two and they all get a chance to solo. At times, it feels more like a private show, where they’re performing more for each other than for the camera, but that brings a sense of intimacy because no one here is polished.

The entire cast looks loose and a little low-key, like the laid-back guy on the sidewalk shilling his shell game with a gentle wink — a quiet “sorry” as he seduces the cash from your pocketbook, knowing we all love being a sucker when the situation is right.

@katherinemonk

THE EX-PRESS, June 9, 2016

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