RIOTUS

I’ll be completely honest here – who was really asking for another Now You See Me movie? The first two were pretty entertaining, and I’ve forgotten most of what happens in them, other than the four main characters from the first movie. The series focuses on a group of four illusionists called The Four Horsemen (a very ominous name) who use their skills in fun heists to right the wrongs caused by terrible rich people who take advantage of people in the world—illusion vigilante heroes kind of works here, especially with known and likable actors. With Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas and Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney bringing their comedy chemistry from their other franchise together, Zombieland was an easy sell. Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, an escape artist who brightens up the scenes with all the male energy on screen. Dave Franco as Jack Wilder made you believe that the X-Man Gambit throwing cards are possible. And Lizzy Caplan as Lula May, who came in the second movie and brought her good, sarcastic wit to the group while also being a love interest for Franco’s character.

With this new Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third film in the series works as a bit of relauch with having such a break inbtween films they use this as bringing in a new generation of illusionists led by Justice Smith‘s Charlie, a illusion mastermind and his two best friends Ariana Greenblatt‘s June, a lockpick and sleight of hand master and Dominic Sessa as Bosco Leroy, their performer, master of disguise and imitation along with being their arrogant bad boy rogue. After our new group of heroic illusionists masquerade as the Four Horsemen, they meet J. Daniel Atlas, who says he needs the new gen to help him with a mission from the Eye (super secret magician group) to take down Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a South African diamond company CEO who’s not as nice as she seems. The old Horseman and the new Horseman eventually come together to pull off a lot of impressive tricks while having many generational clashes—a ton of millennial vs Gen Z energy with one old guy in the middle.

The movie was very entertaining with decent enough direction. The tricks looked fun, and the new cast members are very good together. They have good chemistry, and they feel like friends. I ended up liking the new cast than the returning one, with the exception of Woody, I’ll always love seeing Woody in anything. Justice Smith works as a new leader character, he’s great as the likeable, unsure of himself, smart character. It’s cool seeing Greenblatt get to do more and more stuff. I think she’ll get to have a nice career. Sessa is fun here and can take over a scene quickly. He has a lot of scenes with Eisenberg, and he outshines him most of the time. I did like seeing Lizzy Caplan back. Pike was a great bad guy, a perfect person to hate.

I do think this movie can be easily watched at home, though. I don’t feel you’d miss anything by not watching this in a theater. The visuals aren’t impressive, and the effects are awe-inducing. Even the tricks are smaller than those in the previous two films. I think you’ll have a good time if you do see it, and it does set up another movie that was already announced to be in production, so if you missed this franchise, you’ll get some more. This had a little Fast & Furious energy in it as you started seeing more and more faces from before pop up, expanding the world. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, in the end, is just really ok. I wasn’t mad; I saw it, but I didn’t need to see it either. If you go see it, try to pick a discount day.