Legendary magician David Copperfield (who, incidentally, is a producer on “Now You See Me 2”) used to end his shows by literally flying off the stage — he would put his hands on his hips, puff his chest like Superman and lift up into the rafters. This incredible exit left such an impression because it got to the heart of what magic is all about: A great trick doesn’t work by blindsiding the audience with an act of God. On the contrary, it works by defining the distance between the perceived and the impossible. David Copperfield may have been able to seduce supermodel Claudia Schiffer on his way to amassing a fortune that borders on the billions, but the man…

I can't help but feel like they missed an incredible opportunity for a really great title for their sequel. Instead of the bland stereotypical Now You See Me 2, they really should have titled it Now You Don't. Maybe they could have even added the title of the first movie at the beginning to make the connection more obvious for people who don't like to research, but even then, Now You See Me: Now You Don't might have been a bit of a stretch for a sequel title. Really though, was this a film that ever really needed a sequel? Or did anyone really ask for one? I remember seeing the first film not long after it came out, but…

Now You See Me 2 can be best described as forced. It’s a forced and unnatural sequel for so many reasons. It follows the, perhaps surprising, success of 2013’s Now You See Me, about a troupe of performing illusionists. That one, though not particularly critically lauded, went down smoothly with audiences. It is a charming flick with, dare I say, a bit of magic mixed in. But in the sequel, coming three years later, the magic is gone and it all feels like the studio is money grabbing.

The first problem is that of the “girl magician.” Isla Fisher played Henley in the first film, but she was pregnant during filming and couldn’t participate in this one. So the filmmakers…