Arts & Entertainment

This Week at the Movies, June 3 to 9

'Now You See Me' is amusing but lightweight and 'After Earth' is a misfire, but 'The East' is a tense indie thriller.

This article was written by Nathan Duke.

If you look beneath the surface of “Now You See Me,” there’s not a lot there. The film’s characters have mastered the art of diverting their audience and, for its two-hour running time, the picture does the same.   

In other words, this fast-paced thriller works well enough and – although it ultimately gives you little on which to chew – it’s a welcome relief from the onslaught of summer sequels.   

In the film, four magicians played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco stumble upon the ultimate trick that involves robbing a bank in France without having ever left the Las Vegas stage on which they are performing.   

It should come as no surprise that the FBI becomes interested in their performance, sending an agent (Mark Ruffalo) to find out how they pulled off the feat. Also thrown into the mix are an Interpol agent (Melanie Laurent) tycoon (Michael Caine) and a man (Morgan Freeman) whose job it is to debunk magic acts.   

Surprisingly, the magicians become less of a focus as the picture wears on, while the characters played by Ruffalo, Laurent and Freeman become more integral to the story.   

“Now You See Me” has a few tricks up its sleeve, but while it is diverting enough for most of its running time, the picture is thematically lightweight.   

M. Night Shyamalan’s “After Earth” aims to be more than just a sci-fi action drama, but – similarly to the spacecraft carrying its two leads – comes crashing to the ground.   

In the film, Will Smith plays Cypher, a stern military commander some years in the future who has led the battle against an alien life form that has taken over Earth.   

Much like the recent “Oblivion,” humans no longer populate the planet, living in space stations that circle the galaxy.   

Smith has long been separated from his family and, therefore, has a strained relationship with his cadet son, Kitai (Jaden Smith), who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps.   

In an attempt to rekindle their relationship, the two join a mission on a ship that crashes to Earth after a malfunction. Cypher’s legs are both broken, leaving Kitai with the burden of ensuring their survival on the hostile planet.   

The special effects in “After Earth” are impressive enough, but the movie is weighted down with numerous other problems. For starters, both Smith and son speak stiff dialogue in a strange accent that, at times, sounds Southern and, at other times, from New England.   

Virtually every sentence uttered by Will Smith is spoken with unnecessary gravitas. Literally. Every. Single. Word. Is. Spoken. Like. This.

Ten years ago, Shyamalan was hailed as the next big thing due to his critical and financial successes with “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs.”   

But those three hits were followed by one miss after another – “The Village,” “Lady in the Water,” killer plant saga “The Happening” and the unfortunate “Last Airbender.”   

“After Earth” aims to be a father-son reconciliation story in the format of a futuristic sci-fi parable, but misses on both counts. Here’s to hoping Shyamalan gets his mojo back next time around.   
The weekend’s only recommendable film is Zal Batmanglij’s “The East,” a tense thriller about an agent (Brit Marling) for a private intelligence firm who infiltrates the titular anarchist collective, which targets corporations that cover up criminal activity.    

But as Sarah (Marling) lives in close quarters with The East’s members, which include Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgard, she begins to sympathize with their aims, if not completely endorsing their tactics.   

Obviously, the film draws tension from whether Sarah’s true identity will be found out. And Batmanglij, whose previous film – “Sound of My Voice” – similarly involved a reporter going undercover to join a cult, manages to mix in weighty subject matter without being heavy handed.   

If it’s not the great movie that Batmanglij and Marling, who has co-written both of his features, might be destined to make, it’s at least a step in the right direction.   

After Earth” is playing at The Pavilion on Prospect Park West as well as “Now You See Me.” 

The East” is playing at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 at 1998 Broadway near West 68th Street in Manhattan and is also playing at Sunshine Cinema at 143 East Houston Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side.  


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here