In a previous Melbourne Magic Festival, I missed out on Peter Nguyen’s show “Welcome to the Movies”. Suffice to say in 2016 I was keen not to miss that show’s sequel: “Welcome to the Movies, Pt 2”. Just like a trip to a cinema, Peter’s show commenced with the ‘standard’ sort of movie messages you’d see at a usual cinema. Instead of watching a reel of previews, audience members were treated to a cinematic mashup of popular movie sequels prior to the show (think Star Wars franchise, The Matrix, Avengers, Batman, Men in Black etc). Peter introduced himself as a long time fan of the movies, and this was demonstrated to the audience through Peter’s excitement at showing us magical effects which he connected to some of his favourite films and his enthusiasm for magic (and movies!). I enjoyed the way Peter presented his magic, and then connected it to popular films. As an example, a card prediction (involving a rising card) was connected to a scene from a Harry Potter film. Peter used film props and audience members to his advantage, making this show one of the most entertaining of the festival. The finale was clever and surprising. If I was a movie reviewer, I would give this show 4 stars!

Verdict: enjoyable magic and this show was suitable for the family. Indeed, Peter ensured that children in the audience had a chance to help out while not forgetting about the adults in the room too. This show had plenty of magic but also some laughs (and of course, movie references). Highly enjoyable, and I do hope Peter bring this show back to the festival next year…you never know, coming soon there could be a ‘Welcome to the Movies Pt 3!’.