Now You See Me 2 (2016)

One actor, two characters, one very curly wig: Woody Harrelson plays his own twin brother in Now You See Me 2, and that’s about the subtlety level. The plot is a stack of reveals on top of reveals, and by the umpteenth double cross nobody, including the Horsemen, seems sure who’s fooling whom. Worse, most of the magic is computer effects, so every trick looks impossible in the boring way. Then there’s the card heist. The four of them pass a stolen chip on a single playing card while guards pat them down, flicking it hand to hand, and for one long scene this is a great movie. Lizzy Caplan brings the only real comedic timing in the group. The CinemaScore crowd handed it an A minus while critics landed at 34%. A 4.6 because one scene is slick and the rest of the 129 minutes is someone explaining it to you. $274 says you try flicking a playing card across the room tonight and it lands in the one spot behind the TV you can’t reach.

What works: The card-passing heist is a genuinely clever sequence, and Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe bring fresh energy to the gang.

What doesn’t: The twists pile up until none of them matter, and computer-generated magic makes every trick feel weightless.

Who it’s for: Fans of the first movie who mostly want more Horsemen banter and don’t care how the tricks work.