Back in 2013 the movie Now You See Me was released and became, at least to my mind, something of a surprise hit.  My daughter saw it and recommended it and, while I haven’t seen the full movie, I caught most of it one day on cable and found it an entertaining diversion…though just about everything that happened within the film would have been impossible for a group of four magicians to accomplish without some major cash and an army of assistants.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Now You See Me was about four magicians (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and Isla Fisher) who are engaged in a “Mission: Impossible” type …uh… mission and use their skills to expose nefarious deeds perpetrated by the film’s villain(s).

If my plot description sounds rather vague, this is on purpose.  I don’t want to get into too many details for those who haven’t seen the film and are curious to do so as there are plenty of revelations along the way and not everyone is who you think they are.

Again, what I saw of that film (roughly the last 2/3rds) was enjoyable.  Further, the film did well enough at the box office to merit a sequel.

2016’s Now You See Me 2 brings the whole gang back minus Isla Fisher’s Henley Reeves character.  She is replaced by Lizzy Caplan as Lula, who plays another highly skilled female magician.

If you liked the original film, Now You See Me 2 will probably appeal to you as well though this time around the revelations and surprises aren’t quite as “big” as they were in the first film.  Given what happened in the first film, I suspect there was no way they could be.

Yet the film, as directed by Jon M. Chu (taking over for the original’s Louis Letterrier), is a slick concoction that moves moves moves along at a heart-racing pace and is enjoyable enough…though it lacks the freshness of that first film.

In a piece of sly casting, everyone’s favorite wizard Daniel Radcliffe joins these proceedings as the movie’s main villain and he’s decent in a role that doesn’t ask all that much of him except to be the bad guy.

Is the film worth seeing?

If you have the free time, it is but the fact is that as slick as this movie is, and as neat as some of the sequences are (there’s one involving a card which is very slick indeed), this film is the definition of disposable entertainment.  What you have in Now You See Me 2 is a sugary concoction that won’t make you hate the fact that you gave a little over two hours  of your time watching it yet it won’t linger all that long in your head.  If it does, the only things you’ll think about are the movie’s many impossibilities.

Still, you could do far worse than spend time watching this film, though if you haven’t seen either it or the original I’d recommend seeing the first one and, depending on how much you like it, only then giving the second a try.

Which is my long winded way of saying I give Now You See Me 2 a mild recommendation.  Brainless, slick fun that you will enjoy…provided you don’t take it too seriously.