I am very much aware that this movie came out 5 years ago, but I just saw it for the first time this weekend , so imma review it now. But the moral of the story is – HELLO DAVE FRANCO! If I had known that Dave was in a movie where he had an epic car chase scene AND was a highly paid Con-man, I would have watched this the day it came out. From the trailer though, I thought it was going to be a teenage version of “The Prestige” and since no one can compare to Hugh Jackman, I didn’t even bother.

However, this weekend I found myself deciding between this movie and Ant-Man, so I went with the non-Marvel option. Boy was that the right choice! (No offense, Paul Rudd). Not only was this movie incredibly entertaining but it had a plot twist that I legit didn’t see coming. There is a possibility that I was just tired and off my game, so maybe the plot twist was actually predictable, but my jaw dropped 5 minutes from the end, so I’m gonna rave about this movie for a bit.

Here are the reasons you should make this the next magic movie you see:

1. Morgan Freeman plays a bad guy. I don’t know why this was so satisfying for me, but it was literally so refreshing having him NOT be a narrator or god.
2. Dave Franco.
3. Instead of having to wait until the very end of the movie to understand how the magic tricks are done, Morgan Freeman debunks them for you RIGHT after they happen. It definitely eases a lot of tension throughout the film. However, one could also argue that ignorance is bliss, so maybe you won’t like the fact that Morgan takes the magic out of the tricks. Let me ask you this: when you’re at an authentic Chinese restaurant, do you like to be told what you ate right after you eat it, or would you prefer to wait until after the meal is over? That’ll determine whether you will like this film or not.
4. Mark Ruffalo believes in magic, and that’s all this Harry Potter fan needed to know.
5. All three magic tricks added up to be one huge revenge plot, and I don’t know about you, but that is some serious #goals right there.

Popcorn Rating: 4 popped corns

Remember that this is a movie about magic. You aren’t gonna cry, or laugh, or get emotionally attached to the characters. You will see some crazy “magic” and Dave Franco, and I think that’s really all you need. This movie is best watched with parents and/or acquaintances because there’s no sex and no controversial topics. Just pure clean magic fun.

Enjoy!

PFP