A year after the events of the first film, master illusionists The Horsemen are still lying low, awaiting instructions from The Eye, the secret society of magicians they’ve been recruited into. The team consists of illusionist Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), hypnotist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), card trickster Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Lula (Lizzy Caplan), who replaces Isla Fisher as The Girl One. Finally, he team’s leader Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) reassembles the group for a new assignment.
The magicians are tasked with hijacking tech guru Owen Case’s (Ben Lamb) launch of a piece of technology that threatens the privacy of all who use it, exposing their unethical business dealings. The Horseman crash Case’s launch party intending to expose him, but things go wrong. Case’s former partner Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), abducts The Horseman in a bid to have them execute his own nefarious plan. But, things aren’t always as they seem…
The skills of The Horseman verge on the supernatural, but that’s part of the fun. This isn’t Shakespeare and no one involved appears to be taking themselves too seriously. It’s nice to see Daniel Radcliffe continuing to take on different roles, in an effort to movie beyond the Harry Potter films. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco are clearly having a ball playing superheroes of sorts, while Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo add a touch of weightiness to the proceedings, without forgetting they’re in a popcorn flick. Lizzy Caplan acquits herself well as the only female in the group, occasionally giving voice to the problem of gender inequality, while providing necessary humor. While Now You See Me 2 isn’t necessarily a film you’ll be talking about weeks after seeing it, the film is a solid follow up to its predecessor.
Presented in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio, Lionsgate has provided a fairly solid 4K UHD transfer. The overall appearance is a bit grainy for the first fifteen minutes or so, but after that, things look great. You can see the smallest of details—the pores on the faces of all the actors, the individual hairs of Daniel Radcliffe’s beard, the lights of the neon signs in Macao—It’s all pretty stunning. The depth of field is exceptional throughout. In many scenes, streets and other landscapes seem to go on forever. Black levels are deep and inky. The varied color palette is bright and vivid, yet never overblown. Skin tones appear normal. Get past those first few minutes and this is an exceptional presentation.
While my review is based solely on the 4K UHD Disc, the regular 1080p Blu-ray is also equipped with a Dolby Atmos surround track. Like the video, the track is impressive. The dynamics are spot on, capturing everything from the chirp of birds to the crack of massive explosives. The surround mix perfectly balances effects, dialogue and the score. Dolby Atmos is effectively showcased during the Octa stage show performance. The LFE channel is given a good workout throughout and the surround sound is immersive. Dialogue is clean, clear and concise.
English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles are included.
The following extras are available;
- Audio Commentary with Director John M. Chu: If you’re a fan of the film, or for that matter Chu, this track is worth a listen. The guy loves his work and his enthusiasm for filmmaking comes through in nearly every word he says.
- The Art of the Ensemble (HD, 21:11) Typically EPK featurette where the large ensemble cast discusses working together. They emphasize the cast has no one ‘star.’
- You Can’t Look Away (HD, 17:14) Cast and crew discuss the visual look of the film and how they pulled off the different visual stunts on display.
- Bringing Magic to Life (HD, 16:09) The cast and crew muse about the magic tricks on display in the film.
- Blu-ray Copy of the film.
- UltraViolet
- Digital HD
