Film Review: Now You See Me - Now You Don't
Unlock The Illusion
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film.
REVIEW
Back in 2013, Now You See Me became an impressive mid-budget box office hit. With its mix of mystery, thrills, twists, and humor, plus a cast of charismatic performers, it worked as a feel-good blockbuster that swapped out superhero powers and weapons for sleight of hand and stage magic. Three years later came Now You See Me 2, which, impressively, pulled off similar box office success.
Over time, the franchise has built a small but loyal cult following, and now, nine years later, a third film has officially been greenlit in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Returning to the cast are Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman (barely), and Mark Ruffalo (barely), with Isla Fisher also returning after sitting out the sequel. The ensemble is expanding too, with new additions like Rosamund Pike, Dominic Sessa, Justice Smith, and Ariana Greenblatt joining the mix.
I’ll admit, I’d never gotten around to seeing the first two films. They were the kind of come-and-go theatrical releases that slipped by me back in 2013 and 2016, when I wasn’t yet writing about or reviewing films, and could afford to skip a few in favor of awards contenders or personal favorite IPs. But with a third film on the horizon, it felt like the right time to fix that blind spot.
And honestly? I didn’t come away feeling like I’d been missing out. Those first two movies were a rough watch. While they had clever twists, intriguing setups, and flashes of world-building potential, the dialogue, pacing, and character work felt incredibly rough around the edges, like early straight-to-Netflix fare before that was a weekly trend. The second film in particular featured one of the most grating characters I’ve ever seen on screen via Lizzy Kaplan’s Lula, which pains me to say as a big Jon M. Chu fan (he directed the sequel), though to be fair, it was before his recent directorial renaissance that started with Crazy Rich Asians.
Still, when the studio offered me an early look at the new film and the chance to react on social media two weeks before release, I took that as a sign of confidence. Maybe this one would finally break the mold set by its divisive predecessors. So, after being underwhelmed by the first two, I sat down with cautious optimism, hoping Now You See Me: Now You Don’t might finally be the franchise’s big trick; the one that truly works.
Well, unfortunately, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, and I’m just the masochistic dummy who enjoys pain, because Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is right in line with the previous two films. This one isn’t suddenly going to win over anyone who didn’t like the last two; it keeps making the same mistakes and repeating the same flaws.
Just like its predecessors, this movie has that unmistakable straight-to-streaming gloss. And considering this franchise practically pioneered that tone before it became commonplace, I guess I should’ve known better than to expect a change. The pacing is rushed, the exposition-heavy dialogue is back, the weak character work hasn’t improved, and while the CGI isn’t quite as bad as in the second film, it’s still rough.
There’s plenty of filler too, most notably a scene where everyone tries to one-up each other with magic tricks. It’s clearly meant to be a bonding moment, but it just feels like something that should’ve been left on the cutting room floor. Rosamund Pike, usually great at playing villainous women who wield their English accents like weapons, goes full goofy here with a South African accent that constantly took me out of the movie. And yes, a certain annoying character from before makes an unwelcome return in the second half; though I’ll admit, they’re handled a bit less obnoxiously this time around.
Still, the film isn’t completely without charm. Among the new additions, Dominic Sessa stands out, again showing his knack for playing the cocky-but-good-hearted type. Like the previous films, there are flashes of a more entertaining movie hidden somewhere in there, and I’ll give credit where it’s due: there’s a genuinely cool, out-of-nowhere twist near the end that caught me off guard.
But overall, this blends right in with the first two entries for me as a “seen much worse, but I still didn’t like it” kind of experience. I’m giving Now You See Me: Now You Don’t the same grade as the others, a mediocre C+. My apologies to the devoted fans of this franchise, but these movies just haven’t clicked for me; and I’m honestly hoping they end it as a trilogy, because I highly doubt a fourth entry will win me over.
“TL;DR”
Pros: Fans of this franchise will get a kick out of returning to this world and seeing these characters again; There’s a big twist in the finale that I truly did not see coming; Dominic Sessa is the MVP as he once again shows his charisma and huge potential star power
Cons: If you’ve seen the previous two Now You See Movies and didn’t like either, this one won’t be winning you over; Same old hurried pacing, pointless filler, exposition-filled dialogue, and clunky character writing
GRADING
