Verdict: this is definitely a film that needs to be seen to be believed but don't watch too closely - just sit back, relax and enjoy.
As proven by previous heist movies, such as the Ocean's trilogy, the cast need to have good chemistry for the audience to enjoy the film. Now You See Me has this in bucketloads with Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher really vibing off of each other after their previous partnership. The tension between them is palpable with Woody Harrelson providing the right balance of charm to Eisenberg's smarm, which really helps to keep the audience hooked as the plot progresses and the stakes heighten. Also who knew that Dave Franco was such a good actor? For me he really shined amongst such a star-studded cast that could've dwarfed him very easily.
The plot is the only hindrance here. What starts out as a very straight-forward heist movie spirals out of control as the movie progresses with several twists that you won't see coming. Whilst this makes the film a breath of fresh air from most of the other releases this summer, some of the implausibilities and conveniences (Eisenberg putting trackers on everyone involved in the performance... really?) may leave some unimpressed. It also resulted in a slightly anti-climactic ending which was disappointing given that I was hooked from the very start - Fisher's very first trick had me on the edge of my seat! Despite this there's a lot of fun to be had thanks to some ingenious uses of magic tricks such as firing playing cards as weapons.
If you're looking for a couple of hours of escapist fun this summer you could do far, far worse than Now You See Me - just don't go expecting an intelligent drama.
4/5
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