Movie review
June 2, 2016 · 129 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Now You See Me 2 is a 2016 heist thriller sequel in which the Four Horsemen magicians are blackmailed by a tech billionaire into stealing a powerful data-hacking chip while dodging FBI pursuit and settling old scores. The narrative drives on elaborate illusions, misdirection, teamwork, and classic outsmart-the-powerful plotting across Las Vegas and Macau settings. Audience-visible woke elements are minimal and incidental: standard ensemble casting with a new female magician and supporting Asian/Black roles that fit the story world, plus light privacy and corporate-overreach beats delivered as genre thriller conflict rather than activist messaging or identity signaling.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Now You See Me 2.
Woke representation / casting
Ensemble includes a competent female magician and supporting Asian and Black performers that align with US/Macau settings and production practicalities; no forced swaps, identity signaling, or audience-visible quotas.
Woke political dialogue
Plot and lines reference privacy invasion and corporate data abuse as villain motivation, delivered through standard thriller dialogue with no activist lectures or identity framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Core engine is magic, heists, and revenge; no race-, gender-, or identity-based arcs, messaging, or character logic.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Features generic critique of powerful tech elites and surveillance as antagonistic forces within classic heist tropes; no modern activist reframing of capitalism, patriarchy, whiteness, or systemic identity issues.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Virtually no backlash accusing the film of woke, activist, or left-wing messaging; searches and coverage show only neutral-to-positive reception on entertainment grounds.
Creator track record context
No relevant prior work or statements cited for this title.
Production
