Credit: Now You See Me 2
Now You See Me and its sequel were, admittedly, decent movies, but the second one stretched the whole sleight-of-hand idea to a new level that a lot of people kind of cocked their heads at. The first movie was fine since it introduced a few magic tricks that astounded people and made it clear that this movie was meant to be one long-running magic trick that was going to make people wonder how each effect had been created and whether it was an actual trick that could work or not. The second movie wasn’t too different from this since it kept up with the magic tricks and the idea that the Four Horsemen, minus Isla Fisher, were out to help punish wicked individuals that had amassed their fortunes in a very suspect manner. The second time around though, there was a bit of a twist to the idea since not only did Lizzy Caplan join the group, but Daniel Radcliffe joined the other side, as did an unknown twin brother whom Merrick hadn’t said much of anything about until he was revealed.
Credit: Now You See Me 2
The tricks were a little more complex, but they were impressive as well.
The tricks that have been shown in the last two movies have been quite impressive, but some of them feel as though they stretched things a little too far for the liking of the fans. One has to wonder what a third movie would do to keep people interested since in the world of magic, it’s fair to say that there are plenty of tricks that might not have been attempted yet in the movies. But then again, it’s easy to think whatever is still out there might have a chance of wowing people if it’s performed in a manner that people haven’t seen multiple times by now. It might be a bit of a struggle to come up with something that could have the same effect as the first two movies have, but it’s quite likely that people would accept anything if it was given the type of showmanship that the first two movies accomplished.
Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t work that well as a villain.
Hopefully, the villain for this movie would be someone that people could get behind, since, no offense, Michael Caine and Daniel Radcliffe don’t come off as the greatest villains in the world. Caine was simply too lackadaisical in his demeanor, despite the fact that he could possibly make a great villain that would be able to scare the living daylights out of people when thinking of how far he could go. Radcliffe, on the other hand, comes off as less scary and more manic since he sounds and looks like someone that might throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get his way, rather than an individual who might actually be dangerous. Because of this, it’s tough to take him seriously as a villain, and while Woody Harrelson has played a villain in the past, playing his twin brother in this movie is, well, a goofy attempt at shoring up the villainous roster that was set against the Horsemen.
Credit: Now You See Me 2
Is there really a need for a third movie?
When sequels to movies such as this are being made it usually follows one arc after another to make things even and tell the entire story as it pertains to the group. The Hangover trilogy did this as the focus shifted from Doug to Stu and then to Alan as the Wolf Pack was formed and then developed over a span of time. If that’s the plan for these movies it kind of makes sense to think that Merritt would be next in line to find someone to spend his life with, or that Atlas would be the one to finally find a bit of happiness and stick with it. Somehow it doesn’t feel as though these movies are all about that arc, but are instead about the Horsemen seeking to refine and perfect what they have. As of now though it does feel as though the second movie said everything that needed to be said.
At some point, it feels as though the Horsemen deserve a break.
Considering how much this group has been through and everything they’ve had to do over the last two movies it’s fair to think that the only natural progression would be for things to get bigger and more extravagant than they already have. But while the general idea is that the Horsemen revel in what they can and do accomplish, it does feel that the actors would age out of these roles at some point and might actually want more of themselves than a life that’s constantly spent on the run. Of course, it’s a movie, so there’s no telling what will come of the story, but it is fair to say that as long as it can make money, the ideas will keep rolling forward.