‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ Movie Review: Too Many Horsemen Spoil the Illusion! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Now You See Me: Now You Don't Movie Review: There’s a famous line in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, about two warring magicians: "Now you’re looking for the secret. But you won’t find it because, of course, you’re not really looking." Okay, let’s leave Nolan aside for now and turn to Now You See Me, whose threequel - Now You See Me: Now You Don’t - I’m writing about. One of the main characters in the first film says, "The more you look, the less you see," a line that, if memory serves, is repeated here too. But what if we do look more - and end up seeing more? Does the magic lose its charm once you’ve spotted the trick? Morgan Freeman Birthday Special: 7 Movies Where The Dark Knight Star Wasn't Mr Nice and Enjoyed Being a Baddie!

A decade after Now You See Me 2, the franchise returns with Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, directed by Ruben Fleischer, the man behind the delightfully anarchic Zombieland. That film’s sharp wit and freewheeling energy make brief appearances here, but so do the creative lulls that have marked Fleischer’s post-Zombieland career (Venom, Uncharted, Gangster Squad). This third entry has flickers of fun, but it never truly recaptures the spark that made the original such an entertaining con job.

'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' Movie Review - The Plot

The film opens with the four original Horsemen - Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt (Woody Harrelson), Wilder (Dave Franco), and Reeves (Isla Fisher, returning to replace her own replacement, Lizzy Caplan) - pulling off a slick scam on a pair of crypto bros. But, as expected, the trick itself is another illusion within an illusion.

Watch the Trailer of 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't':

We’re then introduced to a younger trio of magicians: Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa), and June (Ariana Greenblatt) - up-and-coming illusionists who live together as a 'family' and use their sleight of hand to con the fraudsters. Their antics catch the eye of Atlas, whose once-cohesive team has drifted apart. Summoned by The Eye, he’s tasked with recruiting the newcomers for a new heist: stealing the Heart Diamond, a priceless gem owned by diamond mogul and criminal mastermind Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike).

'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' Movie Review - A Fun First Half

The first Now You See Me was a slick heist caper, almost undone by its absurd third-act twist. The sequel tried to go bigger - with one standout sequence involving the Horsemen passing a card through security checkpoints in a dazzling sleight-of-hand ballet. Beyond that, it was bogged down by a miscast Daniel Radcliffe and a twist so unnecessary it made the first film’s ending seem profound by comparison.

So what does the third film do? Well, it’s fun... for a while. The opening act is breezy and confident, introducing the new trio with flair and energy. Charlie, June, and Bosco aren’t just filler additions - they’re actually entertaining, with Dominic Sessa stealing scenes through perfectly timed sarcasm ("Atlas? Is your father a map?"). The banter between the old and new teams is lively, especially when the younger magicians tease the older ones about losing their touch. The humour works best in the first half - especially the MCU-style group dynamics, with their self-aware banter and clashing egos.

The franchise charm also comes through in some of the 'magic heist' moments, like when Atlas and his recruits attempt to steal the diamond from Veronika in Antwerp.

One sequence, set inside a mansion filled with illusionary traps had the film's production design with the help of some VFX show off with smarminess, never mind it does impact the momentum that the film had gained by then.

To outdo the famous card-tossing sequence from the previous film, there’s also a long, 'one-shot' tracking scene where both the old and new Horsemen try to upstage each other with their tricks. It’s entertaining to watch (I was told the actors have learnt the art of magic to prep for their roles) - even if you realise they’re just performing parlour stunts to impress one another. We’ve seen them pull off much grander illusions before.

Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley reappears, dropping cryptic wisdom while reminding us he’s still around. His brief turn earned cheers in my theatre, though his character remains as haphazardly written as ever. I also didn’t quite buy Isla Fisher’s Reeves being so thrilled to see him again - considering she wasn’t even in the previous film where his 'redemption' happened.

The film tries to create connections between characters who’ve never met before, resulting in awkward emotional beats that feel forced and unearned. And yes, there are a couple of 'surprise' cameos that anyone paying attention will have seen coming a mile away.

'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' Movie Review - An Underwhelming Final Act

The real problem begins after the halfway mark, when the illusion starts to fade. The film’s sense of magic gives way to repetition and predictable plotting. A key dramatic sequence, built around a returning character, falls flat because the emotional stakes never land. And while the protagonists constantly face danger, their smug invincibility ensures you never really fear for them. No matter how dire the situation, you know they’ll pull another trick out of their sleeve - or more accurately, their script. Jesse Eisenberg To Donate His Kidney to a Stranger, Calls It a ‘No-Brainer’ and ‘Essentially Risk-Free’ Act of Kindness (Watch Video).

Rosamund Pike’s Veronika Vanderberg should have been a magnetic villain, but she’s disappointingly underwritten. Her motives are thin, her menace superficial, and her supposed psychopathy mostly told, not shown - her biggest onscreen act of villainy is being indirectly responsible for someone’s death. Not exactly terrifying.

Pike delivers icy poise, but even she can’t elevate a villain defined more by exposition than intent.

The climax unfolds in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, complete with in-brand marketing ("Orlando of the East," someone quips). It’s fun in bursts but clumsy in execution, filled with overcomplicated tricks that feel less clever than convoluted. Naturally, the film saves one last 'shocking' twist for the finale - a half-hearted reveal that lands with more of a shrug than a gasp. When the audience can see the trapdoor and the rabbit behind it, the magic trick stops working.

And that’s the biggest problem with Now You See Me: Now You Don’t: the illusion doesn't hold well. The film isn’t clever enough to hide its sleight of hand, and when you’re already seeing the wires, you can’t call it magic anymore.

'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t tries to rekindle the charm of the original but ends up as a middling illusion - one that dazzles in short bursts before collapsing under its own overconfidence. The ensemble cast remains game, and the humour occasionally clicks, but the spark that made the first film so gleefully deceptive is missing from its over-complicated screenplay with forced emotional beats and smug surprises.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2025 02:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).