Mad Love of Movies: Now You (Should) See It

             Starting with a star-studded cast, this summer’s Now You See Me has a lot to offer. The action is frequent and exciting, the camera work masterful and the special effects seamless. Director Louis Leterrier, known for his work on films like The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Transporter, and Clash of the Titans, delivers his next blockbuster hit with Now you See Me. Sticking to his comfort zone, Leterrier crafts an action packed visual delight.
            Now You See Me follows the story of Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) a New York City detective who is assigned to a strange case. A group of rag-tag magicians known collectively as “The Four Horseman” are using their magic shows to rob banks and give money to their audience members as reward. After the Horsemen rob a bank in Paris, Rhodes is partnered with Alma, a desk agent from Interpol, and the pressure is on to solve the puzzle and stop the robberies. Rhodes tracks down the infamous magic-debunking Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) and enlists his help to solve the puzzle. Along the way Rhodes realizes that with these magicians there is more than meets the eye, and he will have to start thinking outside the box if he wants to catch them before time runs out.
            At its core, Now You See Me is a heist movie. A team of specialists is grouped together in

order to pull off some amazing heists on a global scale. What makes this movie unique from any other heist movie is the use of magic tricks. The slight of hand, the intriguing puzzles, and over the top stunts work seamlessly together to give a thrill ride for the ages. For example, in one scene in the

middle of the film Rhodes is pitted against one of the magicians, Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), in hand to hand combat. Wilder, who is physically much smaller than Rhodes continuously gains the upper hand by using his slight of hand and magic tricks to dupe Rhodes and make him look like an idiot. This fast paced use of special effects and camera work makes for a visual feast. Though the film boasts, “the closer you think you are, the less you will actually see,” the truth is, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. From the sprawling camera views of the large magic stages to the elegantly designed chase sequences, there is way more to see in Now You See Me than the typical bank heist film. Heist movie fans will find their favorite formula enhanced for a unique viewing experience.

The only draw back to Now You See Me is that it is not an in depth character study, and many of the films characters fail to go deeper than their surface set-ups. For example, the character J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) begins as the young arrogant magician and ends the film much the same way. Even though the characters are superficial they do brilliantly serve the plot, which will keep audiences guessing up to the final scenes. I heard audible gasps of surprise and excitement from beginning to end, and I have never left a theater with more excited people in my life. Now You See Me is appropriate for all ages, though some of the thematic elements and plot twists will be difficult to grasp by younger audience members, the exciting action and the magic tricks are enough to fuel the enjoyment of any age.

Oldies But Goodies

This week I have three Bank Heist movies for you to enjoy!

Ask A Film Student

This weeks question comes from "Anonymous" who asks, "How many screenplays will the average writer have to complete before he or she writes one worthy of being filmed?"

The answer is a bit complicated because it varies from writer to writer. Some writers may write one really fantastic script right away and some may spend 20 or so years working on their masterpiece. No matter how many it takes, we are certainly thankful to all those writers who keep amazing us with new stories!

Name That Movie!

Last weeks winner for "Name That Movie!" was Holly with her answer:

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)