Now You See Me: Now You Don't Review

If you are looking at the list of franchises that no one asked for a sequel to, Now You See Me probably tops that list. Well, no one except for this writer, that is. The Venn diagram of fans of this franchise about magicians pulling off elaborate heists and those hoping Vin Diesel gets his shit together to make the sequel to Fast X is a perfect circle, and that very specific audience will delight in this unabashedly stupid but gleefully fun spectacle.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t follows a group of young magicians impersonating the Horsemen (the franchise’s core group of illusionists), causing them to catch the attention of the real Horsemen’s leader, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg). Atlas informs them that the franchise’s shadow organization, The Eye, recruited him to thwart the illicit operation of a corrupt diamond heiress. The Horsemen then team up with this new group of up-and-coming magicians to embark on their biggest heist yet.

Like the other two movies in the series, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is convoluted, preposterous, and often downright silly. In other words, it’s what basically any mainstream American caper of the last few decades has been. The genre is packed to the brim with absurd and illogical decisions, but for those looking to turn their brains off and enjoy a popcorn flick, this film absolutely scratches that itch.

Now You Don’t sees the cast from the first film reunited: Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, and Isla Fisher (the latter of whom was absent from the second film because of her pregnancy). For Eisenberg and Franco, this threequel seems like a paycheck job. Their respective careers in the 12 years since the original’s release have made it clear that they are above schlocky action fare like this, and their somewhat lethargic performances in the film make it seem as though they feel the same way. That’s not to say Harrelson and Fisher are of a lower stature, but that both of them seem much more game to have fun with the franchise’s return.

As for the new generation of magicians, this group is made up of a trio of rising stars: The Holdovers’ Dominic Sessa, Barbie’s Ariana Greenblatt, and I Saw the TV Glow’s Justice Smith. All three are clearly having fun here, with Greenblatt in particular showing that she has the charm to carry a (somewhat) major franchise—a fact that many questioned after Borderlands completely floundered. Sessa certainly doesn’t seem to be tapping into the full scope of his talents here, but he brings enough charisma to feel like a nice foil to Eisenberg’s character.

This also may be the first time that Smith’s presence in a project doesn’t actively make it worse. Typically, he feels out of place in anything he’s in (which may be a sign of a bad agent more so than a lack of talent), but in the Now You See Me universe, his characteristically awkward line delivery feels like a perfect fit for the role of a quirky magician.

However, the real standout in terms of new additions is Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), who chews the scenery beyond comparison as the film’s villain. She plays a cartoonishly evil diamond heiress with a borderline stereotypical South African accent, and while it’s not the type of nuanced, harrowing work we know her to be capable of, it’s still tremendously fun to watch her deliver nonstop viper-like quips in a deliciously cunty fashion.

This character’s villainy lends itself to an “eat the rich” theme, which should be no surprise to anyone who has seen the first two films. Now You Don’t follows the same basic arc as these previous installments: a billionaire does bad things, and the magicians hatch an elaborate scheme to bring them to justice and redistribute their wealth. It’s not a particularly deep or provocative premise, but it is as cathartic as ever to see an evil capitalist get their comeuppance.

The true star of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is its action sequences, which are, as one might expect, heavily based in the art of illusion. One sequence in particular stands out as having some of the most impressive production design of the year: in the middle of the film, our two generations of magicians visit a chateau that promises to offer a clue in the mystery they are solving, only to discover that it was home to a legendary magician who rigged the house with elaborate illusions. 

When this inevitably leads to a sequence that takes our characters through the house and its various funhouse-like rooms, it results in some of the most fun and kinetically staged fights we have seen in a Hollywood film in 2025. However, this sequence’s placement at the film’s halfway point does shoot Now You Don’t in the foot, since the actual climax doesn’t reach the same heights.

As with any good magic trick, you don’t want to spend too much time dissecting Now You See Me: Now You Don’t because the illusion falls apart under even the slightest bit of scrutiny. However, if you’re willing to embrace the magic and go along for the ride, you will be delighted by one of the year’s most enjoyable capers and some impressive (albeit preposterous) setpieces. And for this writer, at least, it’s nice to have the Horsemen back.

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