‘Now You See Me’ With Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo Gets Mixed Reviews

Now You See Me is a caper film in which a team of swindling illusionists are pursued by a team of FBI agents. Directed by Louis Leterrier (Taken), the film features an all-star cast including, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Despite the big names, the critics aren’t sure what to make of it.

Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gleiberman gave Now You See Me a ‘B’ rating. "This fast and airy thriller about a team of four magicians is an engagingly preposterous high-wire act," he wrote. "It never stops moving (the camerawork, dialogue, and plot twists keep rushing at you), and it's exceedingly clever — at least when it bothers to make sense, which is about two-thirds of the time."

Gary Goldstein wrote in the Los Angeles Times, “There's little magic to be had from watching "Now You See Me," a splashy, noisy and frankly preposterous action caper about a quartet of illusionists with a Robin Hood complex. For all the talent up on the screen — and one can't fault the performances — the movie just doesn't deliver."

Joel Arnold from NPR gave a more nuanced evaluation of the movie’s magic, writing, “Magic is compelling when it actually amazes, accomplishing the difficult feat of freeing its viewers from disbelief.” Adding, “Now You See Me, a con movie with magic as its vehicle and twists fueling its forward motion, exudes self-importance and can't help but make promises it can't deliver on.”

Chicago Sun-Times critic Ignatiy Vishnevetsky was more forgiving, giving Now You See Me 3 stars out of 4. “Like [Leterrier’s] two "Transporter" movies, it’s light on seriousness and heavy on style — a razzle-dazzle fantasy about a team of bank-robbing illusionists. It’s slick, deliberately silly, and sprinkled with visual confetti.”

Now You See Me, rated PG-13, is curently in wide release.

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