The sequel to the magical heist film, Now You See Me, suffers from a lot of faults which directly impact its enjoyment. First up, Isla Fisher didn’t return due to her pregnancy, which required the introduction of a new character, Lula, played enjoyably by Lizzy Caplan.

Caplan is solid, and brings a nice comedic element to the story, but the loss of Fisher is definitely felt.

Then, there’s the increased use of visual effects to make illusions which could not be done in real life, no matter how talented the illusionists were. And just like in the first one, that definitely ousts the viewer from the film.

It’s been a while since the Horsemen have made an appearance, and Daniel (Jesse Eisenberg) is getting antsy, and chaffing at the reins held by Dylan (Mark Ruffalo). Daniel has a meeting with the Eye, who runs the horsemen, and sets him off on a new adventure with his cohorts, Merritt (Woody Harrelson – who gets to pull double duty in this film), Jack (Dave Franco) and the newly recruited Lula.

They sound find themselves being blackmailed by a tech genius, Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe) who has a connection to an old enemy.

In fact there is lots of backstory here, we see Dylan’s youth, which we heard about in the first film, and his father’s connection and rivalry with Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman).

It feels like it could be big and sweeping story, but some of the visual effects push the magic to impossible that you can’t buy it. Illusions have to look impossible, but there always has to be a possible explanation for them, the film ignores that caveat a few times.

Not always enjoying his performances, putting Eisenberg front and center would push at my enjoyment as well. To be clear, he’s not a bad actor, I’m just not keen on his style and delivery. It doesn’t feel like quite as much an ensemble as the first film, despite the expansive cast.

There are some nice moments, reveals about characters and motivations as the film progresses, but it’s just not as fun as the first film. That being said, I really like the idea of this franchise, illusionists using their skills to pull off heists, and as an added bonus giving it to those who need it – fantastic, and that will keep me coming back for more.

Maybe the next one will be less VFX magic, and more things that can actually be created by illusion. Course, as it currently stands, despite the announcement of a third film, and Daniel’s promise to return, we’re still waiting.