The good
The franchise’s greatest asset remains its cast. Jesse slips back into Atlas’ neurotic brilliance with ease, Harrelson is reliably loose and unbothered, Franco remains the franchise’s smoothest operator, and Fisher’s return restores the original quartet’s rhythm. The newcomers, thankfully, don’t feel like corporate add-ons. Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt and Dominic Sessa bring sharpness, charm and just enough chaotic energy to make the generational clash fun. Ariana, in particular, gets a standout police-station action bit that feels like the film briefly waking up and stretching. And then there’s Rosamund Pike, who attacks her villain role like she’s auditioning to be the final boss of the Bond universe — hammy, but menacing, and visibly enjoying every second. The set-pieces, especially the illusion-laden sequence inside The Eye’s old headquarters, are inventive enough to make you miss this brand of goofy spectacle.
The bad
The film moves at such a breakneck pace that even the tricks seem exhausted. Twists appear and vanish before they land, emotional beats slip past unnoticed, and the explanations for the biggest showstoppers feel like they were written on a napkin during lunch. Ruben Fleischer’s direction leans more towards noise than nuance; the playful con artistry of the first film gives way to Fast & Furious-style escalation — more people, more subplots, more shiny locations — but not more impact.
The verdict
If anything, it is a breezy, star-driven crowd-pleaser that delivers exactly the amount of fun you expect — and almost none of the finesse you hope for. A good time? Absolutely. A memorable one? Well, that might depend on how quickly the smoke clears.
