Can you pull off the same trick three times in a row? Natural, with all of the sequels Hollywood constantly puts out, clearly there’s a way to “repeat the magic,” but the Now You See Me franchise, which literally involves magicians, is undoubtedly looking to continually throw new versions of sleight of hand at the audience, in hopes of constantly being able to breeze through nonsensical heist plots. In the case of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (the logical title of a first sequel, finally utilized this time around), perhaps enough time has passed for audiences not to really mind a lack of much change-up in this formula. Sure, the ensemble cast has some new players replacing old ones, and, if anything, the plotting has been streamlined in favor of making things far more cut-and-dry, but does this entry teach the veteran members involved any new tricks?
This film places us back in the world of the Four Horseman, famed Robin Hood-like magicians, who put on secret shows (that seem remarkably easy to find) filled with audience members who typically end up leaving with more money than they had, as they’re part of an elaborate plan to rob some nefarious rich people of their wealth, and have it distributed back to those with far greater financial need. We get a taste of this up front, watching Jesse Eisenberg’s Daniel J. Atlas lead his band of magicians (also including Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and a returning Isla Fisher) through an elaborate and entertaining showcase of tricks ending with the same result. The only thing is, we’re not actually watching the Horesman.
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In an attempt to add some new blood into the series, we’re actually seeing a trio of younger magicians played by Justice Smith, The Holdovers’ Dominic Sessa, and Barbie’s Arianna Greenblat. Having developed skills of their own, the three are clearly competent enough for the real Atlas to surprise them at their hideout and recruit them for the film’s main storyline. This would involve both the real Horseman and the recruits pulling off an elaborate scheme to steal the Hope Diamond from a corrupt South African business owner, Veronika Vanderberg, played by Rosamund Pike, who relishes the chance to be bad.
For a series built on heists, I’ve always had trouble enjoying this series more based on its narrative choices that revolve around minimizing the perspective of the actual horseman, in favor of the Federal agents chasing them. The first film gave us so much time with Mark Ruffalo’s Agent Rhodes that its late-in-the-game twist felt pretty ridiculous. Having to follow through on that the second time around, while still playing within the same narrative confines, meant once again feeling as though the plot structure was interfering with getting a better sense of character dynamics. For what it’s worth, there’s a change up this time around.
‘Now You Don’t’ essentially drops the Feds and lets us focus mainly on our heroes. It makes sense, given how this film relies on comedic tension as we watch our old stalwarts deal with the young upstarts. Rather than focus on the Feds being told how impossible it is to get ahead of these magicians or watching them stumble their way from behind and attempt to play catch-up, there’s much more amusement coming in the form of quips, tricks, and attitudes being used to have our lead characters show up one another, while building toward the grand plan.
Of course, there’s also my other issue with a series that I do find entertaining in the moment, until I start thinking about any of the numerous ways in which the story doesn’t make sense, and that’s the depiction of magic. It’s fun to see long takes involving sleight of hand magic or any number of card-based deceptions. Even fun, more elaborate ideas that can be done in reality are enjoyable for anyone who is a fan of magic shows. However, these movies never think that’s enough and end up going to great lengths to put fantastical tricks on display that rely heavily on CG to remove any sense of grounded reality. Basically, watching movie magic being presented as actual magic is not nearly the same as capturing what real magicians do on stage.
For example, the second film had a very fun set piece that relied on the audience following a card as it was passed among four people, without anyone else in a security room knowing what was going on. This film presents a similar scenario, rooted in character, as we simply watch each cast member show off their card-trick skills. That’s all well and good until the environment is suddenly manipulated in a way that only works with visual effects, taking away from the intended wonder. I can understand that being a movie means deploying larger-than-life tactics to make for an intense cinematic experience. Still, given the nature of magicians, it just bugged me to see what’s clearly being faked blended with the art of illusion.
Gripes aside, much like the other two films, there’s plenty to enjoy about this entry in the moment. While the lack of troublesome narrative complexity I found in the previous entries makes this film more streamlined, it also means it’s a more generic storyline. However, with an odd amount of relevance and a desire to see this villainous entity get taken down, it only really mattered so much. Though I do sort of wish I had less trouble seeing the clear signs of how some of the final reveals were going to go.
Making this all more palatable, of course, was the cast. Yes, Eisenberg is leaning harder than ever on crafting a truly irritating personality, despite being the de facto leader of the group. Part of that comes from his tough-love approach to the newbies; however, the film feels strangely lopsided when it comes to those three, as if plot points were cut from the final product that could have fleshed things out further. Whatever the case, the ensemble is solid.
Harrelson’s specific style of acting allows him to have a lot of fun as a mentalist, while Franco has only grown as an actor since the first film and has brought his card-throwing abilities with him. Quite welcome is Fisher, who left after the film first, but has returned here with some fun references to the nature of being a female magician (leading to one of the funnier reveals later on in the film). Could I have also used more understanding of who she is, beyond being over-explained to by someone else? Yes, but at least the performer has the time to shine.
The new additions are also solid, each understanding that confidence is key to keeping up with everyone else, and attitude will only get them so far if they aren’t also willing to geek out about being with their magic idols. With each having a specialty and the whole ensemble getting their moments to shine, whether alone or paired up, a true highlight is seeing how this entry places proper focus on these magicians and what they are capable of, whether it’s showtime or being involved in a chase of some kind.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t once again finds itself completely devoted to the idea that a secret society of magicians is pulling the strings, without any further explanation. The Eye has seemingly plenty to say, but this series is no closer to unlocking any additional details. Whether or not the possible success of this 9-year-later sequel will allow director Rueben Fleischer, or whoever comes on board next, to finally bring out some new dimension to all of that secrecy, one can at least hope it comes with a good dose of fun that each of these films provides.
Still, while not quite overly impressive, the series has been given new life, enough fun tricks, and an involving story that may not hold much water, but is still enough to pull off a crowd-pleasing escape. I wish I appreciated some of the stakes more, but the characters barely do, so it’s hard to take any of this more seriously. At the same time, the breeziness of it doesn’t quite match something like the Ocean’s series at its strongest, but I can at least enjoy the attempt to put all these people together and pull some kind of a fun feature out of its hat.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t opens in theaters on November 14, 2025.
