Now You See Me 2 (2016) - ★★★★☆

So THIS is Harry Potter! For some reason, I always thought Harry Potter was a series of books seven volumes long, and was about wizards and elves and trolls and probably some other types, not magicians! I guess I was wrong, though, because the only things I do know for sure about Harry Potter is that Daniel Radcliffe is in it, and that it's about magic; both of those things are in Now You See Me 2, so it must be Harry Potter!

I have to be honest; I was pretty sure that Daniel Radcliffe played a character who was actually named Harry Potter, but maybe that's his character's nickname and I just missed that part of the movie. I think it's kind of odd that no one would have mentioned to me that Harry Potter actually takes place in the Now You See Me universe, but again, that's probably my own fault for not paying enough attention.

I just googled 'Harry Potter' and this guy came up... apparently he was in this movie? It must have been a really small part, because I don't remember that at all!

All that being said, I liked this movie way more than I ever expected to like Harry Potter. I mean, check out this scene, which I truly believe to be one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history. It's perfect, and I have never seen anything better. Magic sure is amazing! 

Now You See Me 2, of course, also has the advantage of Woody Harrelsons. Plural! There are two Woodies in this movie, which I think just exponentially increases its value. One Woody is the magician we met in the first installment of this series, and the other is his both strange and estranged brother, clad in a nice curly wig. Seeing Woody act with himself is a rare pleasure, and alone makes this movie worth the watch.

Two Woodies for the price of one!

Even for a non-Woody fan, though, I think that having some familiarity with the phenomenon that is Harry Potter is important for the sake of cultural literacy so you can join in banter with your millennial acquaintances about what house you're in and which broomstick you'd ride (personally I missed these details the first time around, so I'll probably have to rewatch, not that I mind!). Definitely give this one a watch!