Now You See Me appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. This became a pleasant presentation.
Sharpness was positive. Only minor softness crept into wide shots, so the image remained pretty tight and well-defined at all times.
I noticed no issues with shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to appear. Print flaws also failed to mar the presentation.
See went with a heavily orange-influenced palette that sprinkled in a fair amount of teal and amber as well. Within the movie’s color design, the tones seemed solid, though the orange could become a little ridiculous at times.
Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows demonstrated nice smoothness. This was a consistently satisfying image.
The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix of See showed scope that mainly focused on ambience. That said, a few elements occasionally allowed it to open up in a satisfying manner.
These added some immersiveness, as did a few other exteriors, but those instances remained fairly infrequent. The mix did use the score in a broad, engaging manner, though, and the whole package fit together smoothly.
Audio quality seemed good. Speech was distinctive and natural, without edginess or other issues.
Music seemed warm and dynamic, while effects showed nice clarity and accuracy. Bass response delivered nice punch. The mix suited the story and kicked into higher gear when necessary.
The Blu-ray includes both the film’s theatrical cut (1:55:21) and an Extended Edition (2:04:48). What does that extra nine minutes, 27 seconds bring the viewer?
Most of the alterations come from a slew of brief additions. The Extended Edition comes peppered with short snippets that add to existing scenes.
We also get a few that offer alternate takes and re-editing. For instance, the scene between Bradley and the agents almost entirely consists of different shots and dialogue, though the sequence plays virtually the same way.
In addition, a segment that shows the Horsemen on one plane and the agents on another comes with a different structure. It shifts scenes and places them in an alternate order. Also, the New Orleans street scene adds a brief topless shot absent from the theatrical.
To my eyes, only one truly new sequence appears during the body of the film. In the Extended, Bradley confronts the Horsemen backstage before their second show.
None of this makes the theatrical. In addition, the Extended adds a mid-credits tag absent from the theatrical.
Does any of this material improve the movie? Not really. While the Extended Edition works just fine, I don’t think the alterations make it superior to the theatrical version.
Still, none of them harm the film either. The Extended cut brings a fun variation on the theatrical cut.
Alongside the theatrical film, we get an audio commentary from director Louis Leterrier and producer Bobby Cohen. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, effects, the “magic”, music, and related areas.
Expect a pretty brisk commentary here. Both are involved in the discussion and make this an informative, enjoyable view of the film.
Two featurettes follow, and Revealed runs 15 minutes, 38 seconds. It provides notes from Leterrier, Cohen, producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, writer Edward Ricourt, consultant David Kwong, and actors Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine and Melanie Laurent.
“Revealed” covers story, characters and screenplay, research and the use of magic, and the different locations/shows. We get some good details here but much of “Revealed” feels fairly superficial.
A Brief History of Magic goes for 11 minutes, 52 seconds and features Kwong. He leads us through a view of stage magic across the years. This becomes an engaging little reel.
13 Deleted Scenes fill a total of 31 minutes, 57 seconds. Of these, the most significant offers a long, alternate intro to Rhodes. We also get an extended sequence in which Bradley explains the Horsemen’s actions to Rhodes and we find flashback material between young Dylan and his dad.
As for the rest, they tend toward added character info and/or story exposition. Many seem interesting – such as a tiff between Daniel and Henley – but nothing substantial results.
The disc opens with ads for Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Ender’s Game and Red 2. We also get two trailers for See.
A second disc presents a DVD copy of See. It lacks the Extended Edition as well as all the Blu-ray’s extras.
On the negative side, Now You See Me sputters somewhat during its third act. However, the rest of the film seems too engaging and clever for me to complain too much about its lackluster ending. The Blu-ray brings pretty solid picture and audio along with a nice roster of supplements. Even with a disappointing finale, this turns into a fun ride.