As the cast of the Now You See Me franchise reunites, the third installment feels like an attempt to teach old magicians new tricks.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t takes the franchise back to its roots as new director Ruben Fleischer prepares to broaden the world with a fourth movie already in development, his second in the saga, following Louis Letterier’s work on the original 2013 film and Jon M. Chu’s 2016 sequel.
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Years after breaking up, the illusionists known as the Four Horsemen are brought back together by another round of mysterious tarot cards and a new mission from The Eye. The original characters end up taking a new trio of magicians under their wings as they attempt to steal the world’s largest diamond from “the devil herself,” Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike).
“Don’t assume you’re the smartest person in the room, prove it,” Jesse Eisenberg’s Atlas frequently repeats in a callback to the first film, a piece of advice the writers could have taken while retreading old territory.
The movie kicks off with a fun surprising twist on the typical opening magic show, in which the quartet teases they won’t “dress up old tricks,” only for several repetitive plot points to follow. It could be an intentional move as the third installment appears to serve as more of a requel with the new generation of magicians coming into the fold.
Featuring Justice Smith as behind-the-scenes type, Charlie; Dominic Sessa as the impulsive Bosco; and Ariana Greenblatt as quick-thinking pickpocket June, this new group does manage to bring more magic and more heart, rebranding the continuing theme of teamwork as chosen family. It’s bound to be trashed as “woke garbage” by some, but ultimately a good representation of Gen Z amid the turmoil of the world, an important factor in the franchise’s Robin Hood theme.
NYSM: NYD remains timely with references to AI, crypto bros, climate change, arms deals and Nazi sympathizers, as they become unfortunately more relevant than ever. (It turns out, a story about magician Jasper Maskelyne helping the Allies end WWII was actually based in fact.) The often abrasive Atlas even agrees with June that older generations have screwed up the world for their kids.
Despite a somewhat awkward attempt at a South African accent, Pike dominates her villainous role as always, the franchise’s most dangerous yet and a perfect surrogate for the Elon Musks of the world.
At the risk of spoiling the return of one character, Lizzy Caplan provides plenty of laughs from the second she comes onscreen. She also emphasizes the lack of women in magic, in addition to teasing a potential “Horsewomen” spinoff. It was a nice surprise to see her onscreen with Fisher’s Henley after replacing her as the fourth Horse(wo)man in the second installment. Henley also notes she originally left the group to start a family, as Atlas wanted her to hang upside down in a tank of water while pregnant for an escape trick, a nod to her own reason for missing the sequel as the actress was expecting at the time.
But with new characters slightly overcrowding the call sheet (the Four Horsemen become eight by the end), there’s not much room for character development, other than the big twist, which conjures memories of the original. Could it be an homage or just a lazy repeat?
Smith’s Charlie is seen as the new Henley (Fisher), seeming content out of the spotlight until taking centerstage. Greenblatt’s June goes toe-to-toe with Jack (Dave Franco) over their puzzle-solving abilities. Meanwhile, Sessa’s Bosco matches egos with leader Atlas.
Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus gets a redemption arc that feels earned after facing off against the Horsemen in previous movies. Meanwhile, the other returning characters serve more as set dressing, tools in another mastermind’s plan once again.
The ultimate third-act magic trick that brings their plan to fruition also feels a little too reminiscent of its predecessor, in which the Horsemen took down Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), the illegitimate son of Michael Caine’s Arthur Tressler, who was robbed of his fortune in the first film as revenge for his role in the death of Dylan Rhodes’ (Mark Ruffalo) magician father.
Without writer Ed Solomon’s return, it feels as though the new team is attempting to retread old territory, ultimately another Robin Hood story blended with a personal vendetta and a dash of daddy issues, featuring a new villain and a few extra magicians. The movie still includes plenty of exciting action sequences and fun magic tricks.
Could the new cast also revive the franchise to its ultimate potential? With another installment in development, it appears that Lionsgate is no skeptic.
Title: Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Screenwriters: Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, Seth Grahame-Smith
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, Rosamund Pike, Mark Ruffalo
Distributor: Lionsgate
Running time: 1 hr 52 mins
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