REVIEW: ‘Now You See Me Now You Don’t’ Just Needs More Heart

It’s been nearly 10 years since Now You See Me 2 was released in theaters, but time doesn’t matter when studios have franchises to revive. Now You See Me Now You Don’t is the third film in the series, and our protagonists, the Four Horsemen, have also been waiting. 

Illusionists by trade, Robin Hood-type thieves by night —and, actually, by day too —the Four Horsemen have established a reputation that takes from the bad and gives to the vulnerable. No one has seen them in a long time. But now, they’re back and holding a show in a warehouse only accessible to those who solve the clues to get in. 

But J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) aren’t alone. In Now You See Me Now You Don’t, audiences meet a trio of new illusionists, Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa), and June (Ariana Greenblatt)

Directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael Lesslie, and Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese, Now You See Me Now You Don’t still focuses on a group of illusionists with hearts of gold performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic. And this time, they’re set to take down a diamond mine owner, Veronika Vanderburg (Rosamund Pike), whose sins span her South African family and connect all the way to WWII. You know what that means. 

The original Four Horsemen are back for Now You See Me Now You Don’t.

This globetrotting adventure reunites the Horsemen and fills in the time gap between the two films in the most effective way. One of the strongest elements of the film is that we know precisely what every Horseman was doing during their time off-screen, and piecing together those gaps is done naturally through dialogue between characters and jokes (mean-spirited and otherwise) that keep the audience well-informed. 

My biggest worry with Now You See Me Now You Don’t was whether the new additions to the Horsemen would be able to make up for those absent from the poster. While I can’t reveal just how they pull off their magic trick, fans of the existing films will be happy with the direction the film chose. The choices the film makes for large swaths of time bank everything on the Four Horsemen’s charisma and the humor that comes from the personality clashes in the group. 

As for the new cast, Justice Smith once again demonstrates his ability to transition from understated to scene-stealer as his character evolves throughout the film. His connection and reverence for illusions is endearing, and as the man behind the tricks, his intelligence is always on display, even if his confidence is not. As for June, we don’t get much of her personality, other than that she can kind of fight and freerun, which leaves her as the most underserved character in Now You See Me Now You Don’t. 

The new trio of illusionists may not match the originals, but they do have charisma.

Then there is Dominic Sessa, as Bosco; he’s petulant, stubborn, and really just doesn’t want to deal with the old heads telling him what to do. His irreverent attitude toward the Eye, the secret society of magicians that I had completely forgotten existed until they brought it up, and his elders can be annoying at times. Still, ultimately, his doubts push the Four Horsemen to do more than they planned. 

In particular, Bosco’s verbal sparring matches with Jesse Eisenberg’s Atlas are among the film’s best comedic moments. They get mean, but they’re both picking the other apart because they can clearly see themselves in each other. As reflections for the other, Bosco and Atlas are the easiest characters to both root for and focus on in the film. 

The dynamic on display complements the back-and-forth between Atlas and Merritt in the previous film, only now, when Harrelson’s Merritt is even better. In fact, Atlas is one of the standouts again, and it just works exceedingly well as they all start to support each other by the end of the film. That said, this is the weakest film in the trilogy, and that has to do with the fact that it’s too big in terms of spectacle and too spread out in terms of casting. 

While the humor in Now You See Me Now You Don’t lands, the spectacle of the “illusions” feels too impractical to make an impact.

It isn’t that Now You See Me Now You Don’t is a bad movie. It’s just that with the larger spectacles on display, the heart of what made the first two films so good feels hollowed out. With such a large cast and investment in CGI, the practical elements that made the original and sequel heists so incredibly memorable seem like a thing of the past. It ultimately leaves me at a crossroads with this film. 

The CGI itself could be overlooked if the film had more illusions and more magic. Having done a hard pivot into action first, heist second (if it’s present at all past the first act), the film is all about set pieces and not tricks. It’s hard to fall in love with a film meant to be all about sleight of hand but stuffed to the brim with CGI tricks. 

Being a part of a trilogy is never easy, and one coming nearly a decade after the second entry makes the road even bumpier. Now You See Me Now You Don’t did right by bringing its old cast back, and their chemistry is once again unmatched, except for Isla Fisher’s Henley, who doesn’t quite have the same charisma as the rest. And even its inclusion of new faces — Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Ariana Greenblatt — is a compelling addition. However, the moments where the two groups feel cohesive are few and far between. 

Part of that disconnect is by design for the heist to be pulled off, and that works for the plot. However, Now You See Me Now You Don’t falls into the same trap that Jurassic World: Dominion fell into, having the original cast and new cast together but separated makes each side weaker. When we were with the new additions, I missed the original Four (well, five) Horsemen.

Jesse Eisenberg is once again a standout in Now You See Me Now You Don’t.

On the other side, however, when the audience was with the original cast, I honestly didn’t think much about the new folks who had just joined. That’s just the nature of sequels that aim to pass the baton. Unfortunately, the film’s narrative failed to compensate for this by integrating the two groups more thoroughly throughout the story, rather than just in brief moments scattered across the two-hour film. 

Still, Now You See Me Now You Don’t does have enough surprise and more than enough humor to keep you popping popcorn into your mouth while laughing at the screen. A pure definition of a popcorn movie, Now You See Me Now You Don’t is a good time at the movies. It may not be as strong as the last ones, but it’s still great to see two polar opposites, like Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, on screen together for any amount of time.

What fails Harrelson is that his only purpose in the film is to fight with younger people and complain about being old. Where in other films he stood out, here, he feels more like a prop needed because of the franchise rather than a core part of the mission. 

As for our villain, Rosamund Pike is unmatched in her propensity for being an evil capitalist but doing it most demurely. With henchmen, a mean streak, and some really funny one-liners, Veronika Venderburg makes the perfect mark for our team to take on, even if her affluence does make it difficult. 

Rosamund Pike’s villain may be mustache-twirling, but she is demure about it. 

Because of her wealth, the Horsemen’s plan is global, and it makes the most of each location. With some of the best title cards I’ve seen in a film in quite some time, telling the audience where the scene is taking place, each location is used to the fullest. However, the best section of the film takes place in France. 

From a magician’s house filled with puzzles, optical illusions, and The Eye’s secrets, to the police station, France is the location where Now You See Me Now You Don’t is at its best. The dialogue between the characters develops their personalities while each room’s illusion highlights where exactly they shine. Additionally, the use of practical effects in the house, especially when it comes to sets, pops off the screen. I just wish we had more of it. 

Now You See Me Now You Don’t is a good time at the movies, but it’s ultimately too thinly designed to bolster the intrigue and mystique of the franchise it’s attached to. I wouldn’t say that it completely misses what everyone loved about the franchise to begin with, but it doesn’t quite nail it. Instead, there is a focus on spectacle over substance, but the cast carries the film home and will keep you engaged from start to finish, even if you do feel every minute of its runtime. 

Now You See Me Now You Don’t is playing in theaters nationwide on November 14, 2025.