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December 4, 2025 12:13
Lucian Woolley
I saw Now You See Me, Now You Don’t on opening night, but what did I think?
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is ultimately demonstrative of a decline in the creative efforts of its producers. Its magic stems from the daring ‘heist’ set pieces that made the first films memorable, but they feel so few and far between in this addition to the action-packed catalogue that they are the only vestiges of a bygone age of illusionist entertainment. That being said, the legacy cast of the ‘Four (but really ‘Five’) Horsemen’ and the technically discombobulating ‘heist’ scenes carry the film so that it does not fade into silver screen obscurity. It is worth a watch for this alone, but my score for this film is merited and perhaps marred by the downturn from the previous films, and my doubts about further projects.
I believe they were not given sufficient characterisation to justify their screentime. They just weren’t likeable enough across the runtime.
No Spoiler Plot synopsis:
The film commences in a seemingly familiar setting, a show orchestrated by the magical quartet, The Four Horsemen. Frontman J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is joined once more by mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and pickpocket Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), as well as Isla Fisher reprising her role as escape artist Henley Reeves. Only the magic show is soon revealed to be a facade to draw in crowds, with a new generation of magicians behind the act. Young impressionist Bosco Leroy (Dominic Sessa) and his two misfit friends, June McClure (Ariana Greenblatt) and Charlie (Justice Smith), are proverbially passed the torch of smoke and mirrors, and whilst they do eventually gel with the legacy cast members, I believe they were not given sufficient characterisation to justify their screentime. They just weren’t likeable enough across the runtime. For example, the character of Bosco is played in an abrasively cocky manner to act as a counterpart or comeuppance for Atlas, but this falls flat as the endearing ego of the latter has had two films to materialise, whereas the introduction of Bosco is agonisingly unapologetic in its cliche teenage snarkiness.
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Without spoiling anything, the runtime of the film contains only two cities in which the now admittedly formulaic magical heists take place. These spectacular set pieces were the bread and butter of the film’s predecessors, but here the lack of a third fantastical act detracts from the jaw-dropping nature of the finale, as its crucial revelations are brought into the limelight somewhat ham-fistedly. These moments could have provided a brief respite from the villainous Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), whose most heinous act is a hilariously strained South African accent. Although I am a huge fan of Pike’s work on other projects, particularly 2014’s Gone Girl, it is unfortunate that she cannot rescue her character from the constraints of terribly cliched and frankly laughable writing.
From a technical standpoint, the scenes in the first heist are flawless.
Best Moments:
The most captivating moments of the movie for me were undoubtedly during the first heist and the French chateau sets. During the chateau scenes, the writing felt the tightest when it came to establishing bonds between characters, and the set piece moment in which all the magicians attempt to one-up each other was a spectacle of humour and visual filmmaking, albeit slightly cringeworthy. From a technical standpoint, the scenes in the first heist are flawless, with a stunning set piece dripping with awe-inspiring illusion that is explained in a manner that could impress even the most sceptical of viewers.
Standout Performances:
The best performances of the film come, in my opinion, from Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Justice Smith. The two veterans of their craft deliver performances that satisfy the quick one-liners, swagger, and occasional gravity that the script demands, and Smith excels in the background role that allows for his quiet, unassuming performance.
What will be done to change the franchise’s fortunes and apparent creative drought?
The future of the franchise:
So, how does the third entry in the saga stack up to its predecessors? In all honesty, no moment in the trilogy has come close to eclipsing the twist reveal at the end of the first movie. Following on from the zenith of jaw-dropping thrills in the franchise, the sequel film Now You See Me 2 was a bit of a step down in the writing department, but continued to be technically excellent. In a disappointing trend, the third entry continues with this degradation in quality, but it stays so close to the core formula of the other entries that it does not totally drop off the cliff of viewability. What is the bigger question, perhaps, is whether the fourth entry will follow suit. Yes, the ending of the film all but confirms a sequel with its final line, a rhetorical question which all of us are inevitably asking. What will be done to change the franchise’s fortunes and apparent creative drought? Does the opening weekend box office deficit to its predecessors signal a lack of magic in the writer’s room? What cards are Lionsgate holding? ‘What’s the trick?’
Lucian Woolley
Featured image courtesy of Alex Watkin. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article image courtesy of @lionsgate via Instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
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