Cat Says:
I'll begin by saying I'm really really...did I mention really?...not a fan of magic or magicians. I know, I know, that's almost un-American. However when I started catching the trailers for this film. And it is a really really fun ride. It takes four magicians and a mysterious benefactor who promises them great things IF they can pull off three shows. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco play the four magicians who team up to rob the rich and give to the poor. Morgan Freeman plays an ex-magician who now exposes magician secrets and is determined to expose these four to the whole world. Michael Caine as the multi-millionaire who funds them and finds himself wrapped up in what is really happening. Mark Ruffalo plays the FBI agent chasing them, or chasing his own tail, Melanie Laurent as the French Interpol Agent who keeps trying to get him to see past the trick to what is really going on. But we don't find out what is really happening until the very end with a very fun twist.
Eisenberg plays arrogant very well, as he proved in The Social Network, Harrelson plays flirty-smarmy very well and is, again, one of my favorite actors. Fisher is the one who sort of blends into the background. This isn't very well written for her character and I wish they would have made her part less fluffy. Franco, last seen in Warm Bodies, was fun and playful and all New York. So, while they are really breaking the law and walking the fine line between escaping and spending 20 years in prison, you are rooting for their "magic" tricks to fool them all. Most of the time you do feel like you are two steps behind them and just when you think you are one step ahead they prove you wrong. Lots of fun for those of us who love movie puzzles.
There is very little here that would keep you from taking the younger kids but I don't think they would really be all that interested until they are teens and like figuring out the puzzle of this film. There is the very real fact that this is a heist film so a bit morally bankrupt in that view and something to consider for the kids. There is one scene where sex is inferred, one scene where there is drinking and, of course, the grand theft. But tons of fun in every scene so I give it a 9 out of 10. Not perfection but close.
Barbara Says:
Before we go any further, just let me say this one gets a 9-3/4 from me. The deduct is because I am left to wonder what became of the Four Horsemen? But for sheer entertainment this cannot be beat. I was completely captivated. The fifth Horsemen will surprise you and please you too. All the actors did a great piece of work here and should be proud of it. I am sure the film will get no mention at the Oscars but that`s OK because the public is far more important than those people who vote those awards. We are the ones who pay out our hard earned dollars to go watch these movies. We make or break a film. So our opinion is the one that counts.
Mark Ruffalo is as always outstanding and Jesse Eisenberg is going to be one of our greats. As for Morgan Freeman? What can anyone say about him that has not already been said repeatedly. Following up with his own style is Harrelson. As the best of the best at Magic they cannot be beat until they find that they have been and by someone they never saw coming. But neither did we. So go enjoy a little magic of your own.
Tory Says:
What I thought was going to be a fun little movie with some “ok” special effects actually turned out to be a pretty great little film.
I really liked not only the actors in it but the way they interacted with each other. I was thrilled that there was an actual plot. None of the previews I saw actually showed that it was any more than these magicians robbing a bank. There is much more to the story than that! I’m not sure how much to say because I don’t want to give anything away.
My hubby thought that they might have relied a bit too much on the effects being CGI than actually doing the magic themselves but I didn’t have a problem with that. I appreciated the twist at the end and I didn’t pick up on it until almost the moment of reveal. For me, that’s always a plus!
My absolute favorite parts where when it was revealed to the audience how they did each trick. It made me feel like I was watching a “behind the scenes” moment and I love those type of things! I would see it or at least rent it if you have the chance. Nothing bad or too violent for children. I think kids 12 and up would probably like it. I would give it a 7.5 out of 10. A good, fun little film but nothing to rush out and see in the theaters.
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