Now You See Me 2

I came into Now You See Me 2 worried. I liked NYSM1 fine enough, but it had some distinct flaws that held it back, especially it's ending, which felt like one twist too far and made it nigh on impossible to turn off my brain and just enjoy a magic heist movie. Since there hasn't been a third movie in the ensuing 8 years, I assumed this was a case of the movie makers assuming they had a franchise on their hands and making that second movie to find that, no, there wasn't more gold to mine. I'm happy to report that was not, in fact, the case. In fact, I enjoyed this more than I did the original. It's still not without flaws, but there are some that I feel got fixed from 1 to 2, and that's enough to give it the edge for me. One flaw that seems to have returned is the movie demanding the viewer not pull at the strings. There are magic tricks in here that are a step beyond unbelievable, and if I stop to think about them, the more they feel like "only in the movies" magic, not something that could actually be done. And there's also another end-of-movie twist that reframes everything. There's a time and place for those; The Sixth Sense, or The Usual Suspects. Movies where the twist is ACTUALLY A TWIST. The viewer is caught off-guard by new, revelatory information. That can't happen in Now You See Me, because the entire movie is about misdirection and deception, and on top of that, it's a heist movie. An end-of-movie twist doesn't feel like intelligent writing; in fact, it feels like the opposite. It's not a twist if I expect it. The last thing I'll say is a bit of a flaw is how they wrote off Isla Fisher's character from the first movie. It's done with a glib "she got tired of waiting and wanted out" line. Umm, okay? That really the best you can do/ But I'm not too mad at that one, because Isla Fisher was one of the worst parts of NYSM1. I found her to serve little more purpose than "token hot chick". I can't tell you a thing about her character other than "has boobs" and "is breathing". NYSM2 seems to recognize that flaw and corrects it. The female member of the Horsemen goes to Lizzy Caplan, and I enjoyed her so much more. Her enthusiasm and sarcasm brought new energy to the group and to the movie as a whole. She isn't there to be eye candy; she has a personality, and she has to win over the existing Horsemen. It's a solid addition that breathes life into the movie. Another mistake corrected is the angle which this movie takes. The first NYSM presented the Horsemen as these Robin Hood-like social warriors, level-setting the world by bringing down the rich and powerful through magic and thievery. Fine and dandy, but they were also smug douchebags, especially the characters played by Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson. They were the protagonists, but being insufferable jackasses made them hard to root for. NYSM2 fixes that by putting them on the defensive. They're on the run and compelled to do a job by force. Being in this position humbles them to a degree. They're more likeable fighting from underneath than as omnipotent wizard thieves that are six steps ahead of everybody at all times. NYSM2 also gives everybody something to do here; Dave Franco's character is no longer the low man on the totem pole. The switch in perspective brings them together and puts them all on the same level. It's a welcome change. There is still room to perfect the NYSM formula, if a third movie ever happens. But this movie felt like a step in the right direction. It didn't fix every issue, but it fixed enough to better the original. That's a trick I didn't think was possible.