[4]

Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine all return for another game of magicians playing cat and mouse. (Isla Fisher is noticeably replaced with a new character played by Lizzy Caplan.) I enjoyed the first Now You See Me, and I like the entire cast for both movies. But sometimes that’s just not enough. The sequel tries to add depth to some sort of continuing narrative, particularly surrounding Morgan Freeman’s character. It also tries reaching for some emotional moments. But like the first film, Now You See Me 2 moves too quickly to get emotionally involved. My enjoyment of the first film was purely in the gitchiness of its concept and in the way it unfolded. It was somewhat novel. And that, by definition, defies a sequel.

Daniel Radcliffe is put to good use in a memorable supporting role.