Now You See Me 2 - 2 smiles

I really liked “Now You See Me,” having seen it multiple times – in theaters, on cable and. most recently, to and from France on United. I liked the story, the characters, the acting and the sheer joy of watching an effective caper flick. Now to the sequel: I like some aspects, the returning characters (although I miss Isla Fisher) and I especially liked the conclusion. However, the things I didn’t like outweigh the positives. Lizzy Caplan’s character, Lula, is just plain irritating. I think she’s supposed to be cute, but every time she opens her mouth, I want to tell her to shut it. Part of the fun of watching Now You See Me was watching how the heroes would use magic as part of their con and to escape various situations. There’s very little magic in “Now You See Me 2” and in order for the climactic illusion to work, all of the victims would have to be stupid. The script, a high point in the first movie, is a huge disappointment in the sequel.  I hope the next one is better.