Now You See Me, Now You Don’t…
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Since the overwhelming success of Inception,
studios have been capitalising on the "Christopher Nolan effect" to recreate big
box office reception by masquerading average blockbusters as nuanced art films.
Directed
by Louis Leterrier, Now You See Me is
a prime example of an illogical story hiding behind a grand design; a series of
cinematic tricks executed with a whole lot of razzle-dazzle and a complete
disregard for reality.
Mark Ruffalo leads the cast in the role of Dylan Rhodes, an FBI
agent called to track down a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their
live shows and reward their audiences with the money. Always one step behind
the so-called ‘four horseman’, (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson,
Isla Fisher and Dave Franco), Rhodes attempts to thwart their criminal magicianary
to no avail. They frequently inform him, ‘Look
closely, because the closer you think you are,
the less you will actually see’.
After a standard first act, the movie descends into a
mundane action flick in which CGI technology takes over and a labyrinth of plot
twists consumes the integral drama. On more than one occasion, unnecessary
sweeping camera movements and speedy editing butchers simple scenes of dialogue
between two characters. Random showcases of computer generated ‘magic’ act as
red herrings, thrown into the mix to bulk up a shockingly thin plot. The
bombastic music accompanying these elaborate stunts is the cinematic equivalent
of a cheesy grin and wink to the viewer. An amateur combination of mumbo jumbo exposition
and bizarre blockbuster action distracts the audiences from the fact that there
is no real heart or mind to the storytelling at all.
The performances are largely cringe inducing,
especially from Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher. As the central linchpin,
Mark Ruffalo unconvincingly bumbles his way through the script, while Dave Franco
and Woody Harrelson are their usual average selves. Additionally, Michael Caine and
Morgan Freeman are shoehorned into supporting appearances to give off the
illusion the film somehow resembles a clever masterwork by the Nolan brothers.
Now You See Me tries to
be intelligent with an overly convoluted plot, plenty of misdirection, and a
revelation designed to make the audience question everything that came before
it. However, in reality, the overall narrative is little more than multiplex
fluff that succeeds only at being incoherent, flashy and shallow. Even worse
than being a work of bad craftsmanship, the story isn’t very entertaining. With
its ensemble cast and fast paced scene construction, Now You See Me aims to be as slick and smart as Steven Soderbergh’s
Ocean’s Eleven, however it falls
embarrassingly short and ends up being pretentious.
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