Now You See Me

(**1/2 out of 5)

     Now You See Me was one of those films that I didn't think I would be going to the theater to see.  A friend of mine told me that it was a decent film, so I decided to give it a shot.  This was a hard movie to review because it wasn't that bad of a flick, but it's not going to be a film that audiences are going to remember five years from now.
    Essentially, this movie is about four talented magicians uniting for a cause that is not revealed until the end of the film.  In the beginning, each character finds a tarot card with a time and date. The characters meet each other and discover blue prints for a spectacular show.
     Just like any magic trick, I was wondering how they did the show.  Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) is trying to expose the truth behind their trickery while being threatened by the magic show's prime investor, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine).  Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is an agent assigned to the case, and his mission is to figure out how the crew is successfully robbing banks.  Is it magic?   Or is it a well-planned heist?  Rhodes is accompanied by Interpol Agent, Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent), who sees the entertainment associated with the magicians' endeavors.  Dray believes that real magic may have something to do with the unsolved crime spree.
     I will say that the cast was selected well, especially the four main tricksters, played by Jessie Eisenburg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson.  Together, they all had believable chemistry.  The acting worked for the film, and so did the special effects.
     While the movie was entertaining, the substance that made the film was too tangible.  The story focused too much on the actual shows.  I would have liked to see more interaction between the characters.  Now You See Me truly begins to develop after the third act, but the audience is left with an ending that doesn't exactly answer all the questions.
     Overall, the film was fun and had me smiling throughout, but it's not one I am going to remember a year from now.  I had almost forgot I had seen it when gathering my films for reviews.  For you stay-at-home, Redbox-ers, this will definitely be one of the better films to rent.