#ed solomon

The Christophers Trailer

Julian Sklar, once a celebrated artist in the 1960s and 70s, has not painted in decades and is broke. His estranged children want an inheritance, so they hire Lori, an art restorer and former forger. Lori's job is to access eight unfinished paintings Julian has buried in storage, complete them, and hide them back in storage so that can be "discovered" after Julian's death.

The Christophers stars Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, James Corden, and Jessica Gunning. Steven Soderbergh directs from a screenplay by Ed Solomon.

I’m sure the cast of Now You See Me - well, everyone but Isla Fisher, who bowed out of this sequel (actually, she was too pregnant to film, but I'd like to think she saw the first movie and said "Nope!") - were excited when a follow-up was greenlit. Writer Ed Solomon? He must’ve been sweating bullets. Now You See Me 2 is so convoluted it hardly makes any sense.

18 months after framing Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), ruining Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) and escaping the FBI, “Danny” Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merrit McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are fugitives waiting to see what Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), their leader and connection to the mysterious organization known as “The Eye” will ask of them next. Joined by Lula May (Lizzy Caplan), they're asked to expose corrupt tech CEO Owen Case (Ben Lamb). When their mission goes wrong, the Four Horsemen are strongarmed into stealing a data chip by criminal mastermind Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe).

Now You See Me is a film that crumbles upon a second-watch, or even a first if you have a keen eye. On the sponge-like foundation, we’re now attempting to build another film. Jack Wilder faked his death. He, and everyone else, ditched their world-renowned personas as magicians to partake in some vendetta they had no association with. Their lives are essentially over, so what's next? No wonder they're thrilled about joining “The Eye”, a niche secret society that recruits stage magicians to combat crime. I bet they've got a long lineup of applicants with those restrictions.

Anyway, the plot kicks off when the Horsemen meet Walter Mabry. He wants them to steal a microchip that’s the size, weight and consistency of a playing card. If there was anyone in the world that could manipulate an object that size while being frisked by guards, it’s them… and that’s exactly the problem.

As a picture featuring magicians, Now You See Me 2 has the same issues as the first: the tricks aren’t being performed live so there’s no wonder in them whatsoever. You know any screw-ups have been edited out or erased via computer. None of it is the least bit impressive. Like before, there’s no shocking reveal about sorcery and real-life incantations. The whole thing is nothing but a series of tricks - tricks people in this film should be able to see right through if the movie didn't constantly cheat.

If we look at Now You See Me 2 as a heist film, it also fails. Primarily because the “big score” is tossed in the middle of the movie and goes off so easily it’ll make you roll your eyes. This microchip they have to steal is passed from one person to the next over and over, and so effortlessly no human being alive, not with a million years of practicing could do it. The Horsemen? They hardly break a sweat. The key to any good heist film is that no single person is good at everything. The pickpocket can’t do the demolition. The demolition artist can’t drive the car the way the getaway driver can, etc. You might not be able to picture yourself as Danny Ocean, but you might recognize a bit of yourself in Frank Catton. You might not be Ethan Hunt… but you could imagine being chosen as Benji Dunn. Who are you in Now You See Me 2? You’re not even the bumbling FBI agent.

The film is edited in a way that makes actions nonsensical and character motivations just as puzzling. The Horsemen are insufferable so you don’t care whether they succeed or fail and all wind up with their heads on pikes. In theory, you might’ve gotten slightly attached to Lizzy Caplan - who is a great addition to the cast - but there’s so much going with the random storylines that eventually tie together (unsatisfyingly) that there’s no time to flesh out any of the characters. They’re just pieces moving in a Rube Goldberg machine that’s merely over-complicated instead of being over-complicated and entertaining/hilarious. Director Jon M. Chu cast Woody Harrelson in two roles and still leaves the audience feeling like he didn’t do anything in the entire movie.

Now You See Me 2 is a living contradiction. It lacks any innovation, which should make it predictable… but it leaves so much money on the table it'll bamboozle you more than once. It’s dull to watch but fascinating to talk about and dissect. With his association with the Harry Potter franchise, Daniel Radcliffe proves to be an inspired bit of casting but he’s awful because he isn’t the least bit intimidating. The movie makes no sense but goes to great lengths to assure us that none of what we saw was sponsored by sorcery and witch’s cauldrons. It’s a great heist film for people who are kind of dumb. (January 28, 2022)