In 2013, there was Now You See Me, the film that introduced us to the now-famous team of illusionists, the Four Horsemen, who pulled off bank heists against bad guys during their performances and rewarded their audiences with cash.
In 2016, there was Now You See Me 2. The Four Horsemen were joined by a fifth magician to replace Henley, who was unavailable, and enticed by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.
It is now 2025, almost ten years later, and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t moves the story, laced with magic tricks and revenge, to the next generation of illusionists.
The original Four Horsemen are reunited after a ten-year separation by the young magician team of Bosco (Dominic Sessa), the frontman. June (Ariana Greenblatt) is the sexy pickpocket, sleight-of-hand magician. And Charlie (Justice Smith), the quiet behind-the-scenes magical technician and inventor of the tricks for their events.
It is great fun to see J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), the overconfident, brilliant magician, front man for the retired Horsemen, and still the smartest man in the room, back in action. Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) is the gloomy mentalist of the group. Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), the original female magician for the group, is finally back. And Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) remains the best at card tricks and locks. The team is rounded out by Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a former magician who made his living revealing the secrets behind other magicians’ tricks. And of course, The Eye, the ancient secret society of master magicians, who say “Steal from the rich and give to the poor,” is still a huge part of this story.
This time around, the mark is the best baddie in a film in a while. Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike). She is the CEO of a South African diamond mining corporation. However, that is a front for laundering money as the head of a criminal enterprise that her father founded. She was raised by her ruthless father to always win. No matter the cost. She and the famous Heart Diamond are the targets for this film’s heist.
There are other players important to this film, but I prefer to avoid revealing any spoilers here. Just rest assured that it gets really good towards the end with who pops up and when. And don’t forget the awesome magic tricks and fast-paced action this film delivers.
All three films in this fun franchise have had different directors, and this round features an entirely different writing team, with Ed Solomon and Boaz Yakin not involved, unlike in the first two movies. I wish at least one of them had stayed to add a sense of continuity, but the new team of writers does a good job moving the story forward and setting it up for a possible fourth film.
I give Now You See Me: Now You Don’t 4 stars. It fits well into the franchise. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another ten years for the next installment.
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Written by: Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael Lesslie, Rhett Reese
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 1h 52min
Crime / Thriller
Wide Release: In Theaters Nov 14th
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenbaltt, Rosamund Pike, and Morgan Freeman
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.