It took a strangely long time for a viable, moneymaking Hollywood franchise, but the magicians-turned-thieves-turned-folk-heroes the Four Horsemen are finally back for a third time in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, another amusing but disposable installment of an amusing but disposable series.
Though this is only part three, Now You Don’t accounts for the nine-year gap since the second film by essentially blending elements of a standard new installment with the kind of legacy sequel vibe you’d expect from a later chapter returning after a dormant period. It’s Now You See Me meets The Next Generation, and while that creates some expected growing pains, it also brings fresh energy to a franchise that’s always coasted on charm rather than substance.
Old Tricks, New Faces
The film’s focus is initially on three young magicians—Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa), and June (Ariana Greenblatt)—who have been inspired by the Four Horsemen’s Robin Hood-style methods of stealing from the rich and corrupt. They meet one of their inspirations in the flesh when Jesse Eisenberg’s J. Daniel Atlas recruits them to help him nab an incredibly valuable diamond from Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a powerful CEO using her company to fund criminal activities.
It’s then revealed that Atlas’ old pals—Merritt (Woody Harrelson), Jack (Dave Franco), and Henley (Isla Fisher)—have also been recruited for the same heist, reuniting the original Four Horsemen who previously parted on bad terms. The film moves forward with this larger group that juggles both new and returning characters, and in typical Now You See Me fashion, some rather paper-thin characterization for the majority of them.
There’s also too much trite and uninspired banter about whether the “kids” or the “old-timers” are the savvier, more talented magicians. It’s the kind of forced generational conflict that feels obligatory rather than organic, checking a box rather than exploring genuine dramatic territory.
Nevertheless…It’s Also Kind of Charming?
This is the strange spot the Now You See Me series exists in. These films have always felt like paycheck movies for their overqualified cast, yet they also manage to be likeable and entertaining enough thanks to the fun heists-but-with-magic-tricks core element and the chemistry between the actors.
There’s plenty of jokes that are groaners, and yet a healthy amount land too. It helps tremendously that it genuinely feels like the cast is having a good time together, which goes for both returning folks and newcomers. The chemistry extends to the new recruits this time around, with Smith, Sessa, and Greenblatt integrating smoothly into the ensemble’s playful dynamic.
Of course, with such a large cast, some have more to do than others. Eisenberg’s still amusingly smug Atlas and Smith’s tech-savvy Charlie get a bit more focus, or at least stand out thanks to more physical scenes, as does Greenblatt’s Jane.
Presented as a Next Generation parallel for Franco’s Jack with similar lockpicking skills, Jane also uses parkour-style leaps and dodges in fights. It’s the type of “I guess she’s an amazing gymnast too?” touch you just kind of have to go with. Meanwhile, Jack’s ability to turn playing cards into throwing weapons with the precision Marvel’s Gambit or Bullseye would respect continues providing crowd-pleasing moments.
On the flip side, as welcome as it is to have the ever-charismatic Isla Fisher back in the series after her real-life pregnancy led to her missing the second film, it still feels like she could have been given more to do. Fisher is one of those performers who elevates everything around her simply by being present, making it doubly disappointing when she’s underutilized.
Fleischer Brings Zombieland Energy
Reuniting with his Zombieland stars Eisenberg and Harrelson, franchise newcomer Ruben Fleischer takes over as director and manages to keep the energy high. The only slow spots occur when the film goes for more dramatic, emotionally impactful moments that fail to resonate thanks to lack of character depth.
You can’t earn emotional payoff without doing the character work first, and Now You Don’t wants to have its cake and eat it too—breezing through development while expecting audiences to care when things get serious. It doesn’t work, but at least Fleischer knows how to stage an entertaining set piece.
Returning composer Brian Tyler once more does heavy lifting here, giving the film a rousing, engaging score that elevates several key sequences. Tyler’s music provides the emotional throughline the script can’t quite manage, turning adequate scenes into memorable ones through sheer musical enthusiasm.
The Magic (Sort Of) Works
As always, the film plays fast and loose with the magic tricks and the big audience buy-in on the Horsemen not having actual magic powers but using absolutely insane—and one assumes insanely expensive—technology and trickery to fool those around them.
Still, it’s hard not to enjoy the “gotcha” moments they pull off, even when we don’t get explanations for how they pulled them off. There’s some clever imagery as well, most notably in a sequence set inside a magician-made mansion with several strange rooms—one looks upside down, one is filled with mirrors, one has serious perspective issues—that the Horsemen use to disorient their opponents.
It’s visual fun that demonstrates the franchise’s best instincts: when it leans into the inherent spectacle of its premise rather than trying to make us care about underwritten characters, it works.
Pike Has a Blast
Rosamund Pike has a good time as this movie’s classically diabolical villain, chewing scenery with the kind of knowing wink that suggests she’s fully aware what kind of movie she’s in. Pike is a tremendous actress capable of nuanced, devastating work (Gone Girl, I Care a Lot), but she also knows when to just have fun, and Vanderberg is clearly the latter category.
The movie has some decent beats that play on series history. This includes 88-year-old Morgan Freeman, who is understandably beginning to slow down and show his age onscreen, but who still provides a typically comforting presence as franchise regular Thaddeus Bradley.
On the expanded continuity front, the film accounts for why Mark Ruffalo’s Dylan Rhodes and Lizzy Caplan’s Lula aren’t joining this heist in a manner that mostly plays fair. Another slightly shakier point—one you can mostly fan-explain away—is why Henley, who wasn’t present for the big reveal about Thaddeus at the end of the second movie, greets him with a big hug when we’ve only seen them as enemies.
Setting Up Number Four
Though not a true cliffhanger, the end of Now You Don’t hints at the already-announced fourth movie, with Lionsgate clearly not wanting another nine-year gap between sequels. And while I can’t say I’ll be counting down the days until it opens, this third film does once more provide the kind of gentle “that was fine and I like these guys, so sure, why not?” vibe this series has consistently offered.
Of course, the idea of magicians pulling off heists is inherently intriguing and could be something really cool, so I’ll remain ever-hopeful that next time out, they can pull all these elements together in a way that truly lives up to the concept.
What Could Have Been
That’s the persistent frustration with this franchise: the potential is obvious. Ocean’s Eleven but with magic tricks should be incredible. The ingredients are all here—charismatic cast, fun premise, big budget for elaborate set pieces. But the Now You See Me films have never quite synthesized these elements into something truly special.
They’re too jokey to have genuine stakes, too shallow to earn emotional moments, too inconsistent with their own rules to maintain suspense, and too enamored with twist endings to build satisfying narrative momentum. Yet somehow, they’re also charming enough that you don’t really mind.
It’s the epitome of “We’re just having fun here” entertainment, and while little of it resonates, it mostly gets the job done. You’ll be entertained for two hours, forget most of it within days, and not feel particularly cheated by the experience.
The Verdict
The Now You See Me films have never completely landed the “Ocean’s Eleven But With Magic” vibe they seem to aspire to, thanks to more outwardly cheesy and questionable moments, and characters that feel especially flimsy, even for a large ensemble of this type.
Still, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t serves as a reminder of how they manage to coast by just enough, providing a good time thanks to the notable talent and charm of their expanding cast and the inclusion of the magic trick element to provide unique flair.
It’s a a fun fun adventure. Perfectly middle-of-the-road in ways both disappointing and weirdly appropriate. The franchise remains a magic trick that doesn’t quite work when you examine it closely, but if you’re willing to be distracted by the flash and showmanship, you’ll have a decent time.
Just don’t expect to remember much about it afterward. Which, for a movie about master illusionists, might be strangely fitting.
