by RAKSHA DONDAPATI Staff Writer
“Now You See Me” opened in theaters May 31, and the film definitely lives up to the hype.
The film centers around a team or four magicians, deemed The Four Horsemen, who are brought together by an unknown benefactor. The team is comprised of street magician Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), pickpocket Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and mentalist Merritt Osbourne (Woody Harrelson).
During one of their shows, the Horsemen invite an audience member up onto stage and seemingly transport him to a French bank to steal over four million euros. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is chosen to head the case, assisted by Interpol Agent Alma Vargas (Mélanie Laurent). He is not able to arrest them, as the only explanation for the crime would be magic.
Rhodes continues to pursue them, calling for the assistance of Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), an ex-magician who now reveals the secrets behind other magicians’ tricks.
As soon as the movie opens, it pulls you in with each of the magicians showing off their skills in a way that dazzles the audience. The feeling does not leave until long after the movie ends.
With such an amazing cast, it is no wonder that the movie was such an exhilarating watch.
Eisenberg very successfully pulls off the arrogant persona he displayed in “The Social Network”. Franco gave a pretty impressive performance, especially during one fight scene between his character and Ruffalo’s. Freeman was, well, Freeman.
However, it was Ruffalo’s character that steals the spotlight. He plays the grumpy, no-nonsense cop perfectly, his facial expressions and actions entirely believable, even when something far-fetched happens. His character is the most complex character in the film, surprising the viewer until the last second of the film.
The real attraction of the movie, the magic tricks, do not disappoint. A transportation helmet, a water-torture cell act involving flesh-eating piranhas, and the “Horsemen” dissolving into cash are only a few of the performances that will leave you in awe.
There were also fantastic special effects used to enhance the film. At one point, Fisher was floating inside a bubble. At another, the balances on checks are altered as the “Horsemen” take money from their sponsor (Michael Caine) and give it to their audience.
“The movie was very interesting. There was a lot of cool special effects and magic tricks,” said freshman Charvonne Tsang.
The movie is consistently fast-paced, with surprises at every turn as Rhodes chases the “Horsemen” while they elude him using their trickery. It is full of unexpected moments, which only adds the the plot.
“It’s quite unpredictable and has an unseen and clever twist,” said Tsang.
The writers, Edward Ricourt and Boaz Yakin, did an excellent jobs creating an exhilarating plot with entertaining characters to match. The action and comedy in the film blended together smoothly for pure enjoyment.
“Now You See Me” debuted with $28 million, higher than expected. It beat out “After Earth” for the second place spot in the box office.
This was really an exceptional film, worthy of 4.5 out of five stars. I encourage you to go to the theater and watch it, because you definitely would not regret it.
“I thought [‘Now You See Me’] was really interesting and it kept me guessing on what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed myself,” said an anonymous freshman.
Have you seen this movie? What did you think?
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