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Parents' Guide to

Now You See Me 2

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Slick, charming sequel has similarly intense fights, action.

Movie PG-13 2016 115 minutes
Now You See Me 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 6 parent reviews

John S.
John S. Adult
June 7, 2018
age 15+

Radcliffe -sees me 2

As is common, many of the critics miss the mark. It's for entertainment! - and Fun & exciting it was. It keeps you misdirected as intended and surprises you at the end (even though you expected the Horsemen to win-out at the end) - it just that type of film & enjoyable to those like that genre film. Radcliffe was exceptional in playing an over-the-top intense, brilliant, half-crazed and very colorful character. All were great. Several of the main characters out-shinned; "out-colored" Michael Caine's character - as was intended.) It's nice to be bedazzled on occasion . The term "critic" per se is foremost meant to be substantially analytical (for one who reviews); not necessarily excessively negative (as "criticism" conveys) . nuff said
zoey_willowe
zoey_willowe Adult
June 6, 2018
age 18+

Not properly screened :

If religious profanity bothers you, please use a movie masker/movie cleaner when watching this. I didn't make it but about 1/2 way through and had to change it.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In NOW YOU SEE ME 2, the sequel to 2013's Now You See Me, the Four Horsemen (or, rather, Three Horsemen and One Horsewoman, with the latter now played by Lizzy Caplan rather than the original's Isla Fisher) -- J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) -- are back from a year's disappearance, awaiting word on their next move from FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo). Rhodes is now very much part of their act, albeit silently, and their nemesis -- constant debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) -- is behind bars. But Bradley's plotting to unmask the Horsemen and Rhodes continues, and when their return act goes awry and lands them in Macau, they discover that a previous run-in with their billionaire-backer-turned-enemy (Michael Caine) is far from over: Now his son (Daniel Radcliffe) is gunning for them, too.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (28 ):

Much like its predecessor, this heist thriller's main driving force is the stylized, large-scale magic tricks that the film uses to both dazzle and take the audience behind the scenes. It's perhaps even more seductive than the original film, as viewers are both in on and out of the act, depending on which best suits the plot. We're invited along by an appealing ensemble led by the reliably brilliant Ruffalo, whose authenticity grounds even the most outlandish scenes, and enjoyably dastardly addition Radcliffe, who appears to be relishing a rare menacing turn.

Nonetheless, Now You See Me 2 sometimes feels too slick for its own good, with the performance set pieces sometimes taking too long to unwind -- enough to make even avid magic fans impatient for the big reveal.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why the Four Horsemen do what they do in Now You See Me 2. What motivates them? Can they be considered "good guys" even if they resort to less-than-legal means to do their work? Do they demonstrate teamwork?

  • Can you think of other movie/TV characters who break laws but are still considered do-gooders? How does that impact their status as role models?

  • How does the violence in this kind of movie compare to what you might see in an action movie or a horror one? Do different types of media violence have different impact?

  • What's the film's take on unity and loyalty? How does it explore these themes?

Movie Details

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