6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
The Four Horsemen return for a second mind-bending adventure, elevating the limits of stage illusion to new heights in hopes of clearing their names and exposing the ruthlessness of a dangerous tech magnate.
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel RadcliffeAction | 100% |
Comedy | 36% |
Heist | 14% |
Thriller | 10% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: It's impossible to discuss this sequel without detailing some aspects of Now You See Me, which some may consider "spoilers". Those wanting to avoid any perceived spoilers are
encouraged
to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.
There may be no quaint mini-tape recorder playing a little reel which features a portentous voice intoning, “Good morning, Mr. Phelps”, nor
indeed a
portfolio of biographies with head shots that a leader pulls from a series of manila envelopes, nor even any questionable latex masks to help
transform one person into another, but it occurred to me fairly early on during Now You See Me 2 that this film, along with its precursor
Now You See Me (also available as Now You See Me 4K), is for all intents and purposes
simply glossy episodes of Mission: Impossible. If the first film
cloaked
what was in essence a revenge story in any number of “magical” conceits, it still proffered a number of “impossible missions” which its elite
team
needed to complete in order for vengeance to be achieved. This sequel picks up in the aftermath of the original film’s series of sometimes
perplexing
if also predictable denouements. Agent Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is back on the job, ostensibly on the hunt for the missing Four Horsemen (or at
least
the remaining Horsemen). The Horsemen, now wanted fugitives, have gone into hiding, though J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) isn’t
content to simply wait around in hopes that some kind of instructions on what to do next arrive, and so he ferrets out the supposed headquarters
of
The Eye, the super-secret magical organization into which the Horsemen have been initiated. That leads him to a room in some kind of sewer
system where he’s accosted by, well, a portentous voice intoning something along the likes of “Good morning, Mr. Atlas,” albeit without
much other content than instructions will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) is unhappily ensconced in a
Federal penitentiary, calming plotting his revenge against the Horsemen whom he blames for his current predicament. Now You
See Me
2 has some passingly interesting elements, and it has a playful ambience that helps it to overcome several glaring lapses in logic (a
proclivity it
shares with the first film), but the sequel is often listless and unfocused, like a magician misdirecting his audience but without any big “reveal”
offered
as a payoff.
Now You See Me 2 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. This digitally shot film (utilizing both Arri and Red cameras, according to the IMDb) has a generally very polished and extremely well detailed look, though contrast is occasionally spotty, especially in some of the nighttime sequences in Macau, where a kind of purplish ambience afflicts the black levels. The film doesn't ever really exploit a knock your socks off palette, instead indulging in brief moments like the fluorescent allure of Macau street life, or pops of primary hues in some of the costumes. Fine detail is often superb (look at the ribbing on Radcliffe's white suit in his first scene), and some of the establishing shots, like one of the first views of Manhattan, offer stunning clarity and excellent depth of field. The palette is oddly anemic at various points, with flesh tones looking a bit drab, and as is so typical these days, swaths of the film have been variously graded, often toward the blue end of things. Crush intrudes at least minimally in some of the scenes in the Macau magic shop, as well as some very dark moments later in the film, especially once Michael Caine makes his reappearance.
Now You See Me 2 's Dolby Atmos track (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core) gets off to a blistering start with a flashback sequence which involves lots of crowd noises and even a gurgle or two as a certain safe plunges into frigid waters. Over and over again the track exploits all of the surround channels, including the overhead ones, in a number of standout sequences that offer lots of crowd noise, including the rollout at Octa early in the film and a much later sequence in a Macau nightclub. Kind of amusingly, the sound design of the film often introduces sonic non sequiturs that have absolutely nothing to do with the actual plot (such as it is), but which introduce for no discernable reason rumbles of LFE or punches in discrete channels that almost serve as scene markers at times. There's virtually nonstop surround activity throughout the film, but commendably things only rarely sound "noisy", and those moments tend to be in appropriately crowded moments. Dialogue is cleanly presented and the thumping score also spreads through the surrounds invitingly.
Note: Lionsgate provided the 4K UHD package for review purposes, and I am assuming that the Blu-ray disc included has the same
supplemental features as the standalone release.
My colleague Brian Orndorf wasn't especially enamored of the first Now You See Me, and was evidently only minimally more favorably inclined toward the sequel, as evidenced by his review of it. I was actually entertained if not blown away by the first film and unlike Brian felt this sequel was a step down rather than a step up, but I still got a kick out of Lizzy Caplan as the "new" Horse(wo)man. There's a certain element of sound and fury signifying nothing (or at least not much) in this film, but as an affable time killer, it's if not outright magic at least fitfully appealing. Technical merits are generally strong and with caveats noted, Now You See Me 2 comes Recommended.
2016
Bonus Disc
2016
2016
2016
2016
2013
2013
2011
2013
2016
2009
2018
Extended Cut
2013
1995
2015
Extended Edition
2013
2017
2016
Unrated
2015
2012
Extreme Cut
2009
2017
2012
2020
2013