In this “second act”, the four Horsemen resurface from hiding into a comeback performance to expose the wrongdoings of a technology magnate, only to fall into the palms of Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), who the Hogswart-alumni-turned-tech-prodigy offers them two choices: become his personal thieves and steal the world’s ultimate computer hacking chip or die.

Now You See Me 2 (NYSM2) has received many mix reviews for a movie nicknamed the “try-hard cousin” of its predecessor, due to varying reasons since its release. Among them is the accusation that the producers were simply “attempting to woo the Chinese market” in order to “rake in the Yuan”. Even if that may be the case, there is nothing wrong with having the movie predominantly set in Macau. If Vegas is the heart of magic in the States, why can’t the sequel be set in Macau, the Vegas of China? Having Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou and Tsai Chin as the Horsemen’s Asian contacts is not just for show as they do have an actual role in the movie, and are not token characters with forced screen time.

(Read also: Review: Spielberg weaves magic out of Dahl's 'The BFG')

Speaking of characters, Caplan’s Lula May fostered better character development and added flavor in the group dynamics as compared to Isla Fisher’s Henley Reeves. In the first movie, Henley was immediately liked by the other three guys: Merrit has a thing for her, Jack and her are buddies, Atlas and her were ex-lovers, everyone was one big happy family. But with Lula, it’s different. Her snarky, quirky and unpredictable personality serves as a great foil to the three men’s supposedly-composed, structured selves. Caplan’s high energy kept the group dynamic strong and kinetic.

Oftentimes, the danger with sequels is the risk of the second movie being unable to top its preceding act. For our principled illusionists, that is definitely the case. Most of the audience comes flooding the theaters expecting to be mesmerized with magic but also subconsciously seeking for logic in the illusions. Sure, there was a ton of CGI, especially in the intense circuit-board stick smuggling card-swiping scene, but the planning of the acts was just as intricate.

A reason why many people saw the illusions as too “transparent” was maybe because the nature of the heist differed than that in the first movie. In NYSM, the Horsemen had blueprints, abundance of resources and ample time to prepare their performances, but when stuck in Macau without any guide whatsoever and having limited tools, their physics-defying act was quite a feat after all. Juxtaposed to NYSM, which allowed for performance time to build up the Horsemen’s reputation, NYSM2 was more focused on outwitting the enemy under a time limit. Inevitably, the stick-smuggling heist was done the best way that it could be done at that time.

(Read also: ‘Tarzan’: Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel ‘reimagined’ on screen)

In contrast to the first movie where the Horsemen sailed through their plans without a hitch, NYSM2 is more authentic in the sense that they actually get caught and stumped at their own game. The heroes actually face setbacks and make you grip onto your seat and bite your nails as you try to fathom how they could possibly escape. In fact, NYSM2’s plot advanced elements from the first movie, carrying forth themes of unity, as the Horsemen struggle to “work together as a single organism”, as well as motifs of revenge, with a familiar Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) revealed as the evil sociopath genius’ father.

Behind the scenes, the creative team also experienced changes in membership. Instead of Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt behind the screenplay’s drafting, NYSM2 got a credited rewrite by Ed Solomon (Men in Black) and Pete Chiarelli (The Proposal); similarly, the director chair, missing Frenchman Louis Leterrier, was filled in by Jon M. Chu (Jem and the Holograms, Step Up sequels). Whether or not the off-screen team is to blame, again, would depend on one’s attitude towards the matter. Regardless, the performance of the actors on-screen (pun intended), shouldn’t be overshadowed by overly-judgemental criticism.

What has made it into the box office cannot be retracted, so all we can do now is sit tight and hope for the best for Now You See Me 3, which Lionsgate CEO Joh Feltheimer announced back in May 2015 that they had “already begun early planning”.

Whether or not Now You See Me 2 made for satisfying viewing depends on your perception. After all, seeing is believing.

***

A self-proclaimed book-geek, semi-foodie and lexicon-lover, Sabrina Hartono is a 17-year-old student living in Jakarta. She loves history, literature, chemistry, not-really maths and waffles. An aspiring writer, she has started with her pilot project, "Forgotten Voices", which you can find out more about on jakartatreasures.com.

---------------

Interested to write for thejakartapost.com? We are looking for information and opinions from experts in a variety of fields or others with appropriate writing skills. The content must be original on the following topics: lifestyle ( beauty, fashion, food ), entertainment, science & technology, health, parenting, social media, travel, and sports. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com.

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales