Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Lives By Its Cast, Dies by Its Magic [Review]

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is the third movie in the Now You See Me film franchise, but it suffers from a few problems. The biggest is that it has been nine years since the second movie, which came out only three years after the first. While several sequels have come out over the past few years based on old properties, Now You See Me is not a blockbuster property, and having this long of a wait between movies causes some problems, especially for people who might be struggling to remember what happened in the first two movies, and even worse, for those people who didn’t even know about the first two movies at all and came in to this one blind.

This really hurts because too much happens in this film that goes unexplained, and without seeing the first two Now You See Me movies, it is hard to understand why we should care about these people. However, there is some good news with the new film. The cast is all back at the top of their game, their chemistry is off the charts, and the newcomers all carry their weight, although the stars of the franchise are still the original Horsemen.

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Now You See Me, Now You Don’t picks up years after the Horsemen were last seen. What looked like a Horsemen reunion show ended up as a way to get revenge on some tech bros, but it wasn’t the Horsemen at all. Instead, it was three new magician Robin Hoods, Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa), and June (Ariana Greenblatt). However, soon Danny (Jesse Eisenberg) shows up, blasts them for using the Horsemen in their schemes, and then reveals the Eye wants them all working together. This eventually drags back in the former Horsemen, and a new scheme is hatched to bring down a diamond heiress dealing in blood money.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Thrives With Its Cast’s Chemistry

The selling point of Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is the chemistry between the main stars. The main Horsemen slide back into their parts like a glove. Woody Harrelson is as great as ever as Merritt, and he remains the funniest member of the cast. Jesse Eisenberg is still perfectly cast as Danny, the arrogant jerk of the group, yet somehow manages to stay somewhat likable. Dave Franco is still the weakest as Jack, but he still has great chemistry with the group.

This movie also brings back Isla Fisher as Henley from the first movie, and the new film at least explains where she was in the last movie, as she had kids and started a family. However, Lizzy Caplan is also back for this movie as Lula after she replaced Fisher in the second film. This was a fun dynamic with the two women working well together as the only women who were part of the Horsemen. There is also the story about how the Horsemen broke up and went their separate ways, which is a plot point that is finished by the midway point of the film. Even Merritt’s awkward suicidal talk becomes a mute point by the time the main mission starts.

What really needed to work here was the newcomers. Three young people decided to impersonate the Horsemen to get back at people who cheated others out of money. They were Charlie, Bosco, and June, and the results here were hit and miss. Justice Smith was the best of the newcomers, a young man who tries to stay in the background but seems to be the brains of the group. Greenblatt is June, and she has the best action scenes as the one who can best defend herself. The weak link is Sessa as Bosco, a character who is more argumentative than helpful, often to his own detriment. Luckily, they all fit in well with the Horsemen, and the character work is what works best in the new film.

The Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Plot Holes Drag the Movie Down

That leads to the biggest problem with Now You See Me, Now You Don’t. A movie about magic is only as good as its tricks. As with the first two movies, director Ruben Fleischer works hard to show how the tricks were pulled off, as the Horsemen and their new friends explain how they pulled off the stunts, at least to the moviegoing public. Seeing the scams in action is thrilling. Thinking about them after the movie is frustrating.

That is because, when leaving the theater, everything that happens starts to fall apart. There is a surprise twist at the end of the film that turns everything on its head. This is supposed to shock the main villain, a fantastic Rosamund Pike as Veronika Vanderberg, and the audience alike. It does, as no one can believe what happened when it happens. However, look at the previous scenes, and it makes no sense at all.

The sleight-of-hand tricks are still great, and the way the team has to get out of deadly situations is also fun to watch. It is always great to see the original Hosemen talking through their problems until the solution forms from their discussion. It is also great to see how they put one over on tech bros and blood diamond dealers, but it has to make sense in the end. The twist was shocking, but that isn’t enough when people start to ask why the bad guys didn’t notice midway through the movie when it was in front of her face.

Despite the massive plot holes and improbable final trick, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is still a success thanks to the cast. Once again, Woody Harrelson delivers some great lines as the most entertaining member of the group, while Eisenberg, Franco, and Fisher were also excellent, reprising their roles. There is a post-credit scene that will make no sense to newcomers, but it does mean there will be a fourth Now You See Me movie, and it appears the newcomers will stick around and the Four Horsemen will become eight, as the Eye sends them on a new mission. In the end, see Now You See Me, Now You Don’t for a fun time at the movies, but shut off your brain and don’t expect much from the magic.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t hits theaters on November 14.