Do you think that someone could trick you into believing you’re invisible? That sounds pretty ridiculous, right? However, if you’ve seen the viral clip, circulating on socialmedia you’ll know that Justin Willman does exactly that. During a segment on his new Netflix show Magic for Humans, he convinces someone that they are invisible with the help of a little magic and a cooperative crowd.
First, Willman gathers a bunch of people who will pretend they can’t see the victim. Then, he performs some magic by making someone else (who is in on it) actually disappear. To seal the deal, two girls from the crowd take a picture with “the invisible man.” However, the photo was in fact a photo taken earlier with the same pose and an empty chair. Now convinced he’s invisible, the person walks around the crowd, fully believing they can’t see him.
This is just one five-minute segment in the binge-friendly six-episode series, which is equal parts a social experiment, a comedy, a prank, and street magic. Every episode is 20 minutes long, each with its own theme investigating a different part of the human condition. Willman narrates by weaving individual segments together into a story all relating back to the premise of the episode. Overall, it is a well-produced show with animations and voice-overs by Willman that adds comedic value.
Willman makes for a likeable host, delivering his tricks and jokes with great timing. He does an excellent job defusing tension with the strangers he performs his tricks on. Though there are a few moments where it gets corny and the jokes or tricks seem a little over the top, they generally end in astonishment or a knee-slapping laugh.
At its core, magic is making the impossible happen. There’s a certain inexplicable sense of joy seeing something your brain cannot process that makes you question the world around you. This show invites you to believe in the impossible and, at the very least, appreciate the skill it takes to pull it off.
Whether or not you believe in magic, give this series a watch if you’re looking for some light-hearted humour and mind-boggling illusions. It has tricks that will have you rewinding the video to try and see how he did it and jokes that are still just as funny the second time around.
Graphic by Paloma Callo
