Perhaps the greatest trick the Now You See Me franchise ever pulled was roping in so many acclaimed actors to prance around doing magic tricks and repeatedly saying things like "seeing is believing" without even the slightest of giggles.
Full of delicious twists, tricks and double-takes the film, directed with all due flash and dazzle by action man Jon M Chu (GI Joe: Retaliation), is a joy ride full of ideas and magic-world intrigue.
Just as cheerfully outlandish as the caper flick's precursor, with the acceptance of fancy tricks and misdirection twists dependent on an audience's love of a good hoodwink.
And of course, there's no danger of mistaking computer-enhanced trickery for actual sleight of hand, so even the modest but honest pleasure provided by quality card work is compromised.
Overall, Jon M. Chu's film has enough flash and razzmatazz to keep the audience passingly entertained but little to offer in terms of an engaging story - or indeed, one that just makes sense.
But very little about this hollow sequel to 2013's heist thriller Now You See Me feels mysterious; its biggest set-pieces will make viewers ask not "Whoa, how'd they do that?" but "Wait, huh?"
