Now You See Me: Now You Don’t recaptures the magic, excitement and thrills of the original film with dazzling set pieces, a globe trotting adventure, and an enticing magic trick played on the audience that under the direction of Ruben Fleischer and with dynamic and talented ensemble cast, casts an enchanting spell on audiences that reinvigorates the series anew.

 

Intro

 

What made the first Now You See Me film so memorable and a hit amongst audiences was its blending of the heist genre, magic and illusions, and a third act reveal that completely caught audiences off guard. While this was greatly missing from the sequel, amongst other important elements to make it an entertaining film, the magic is back for the long anticipated third installment. The screenplay is built around the same principles of the first film, with one individual being the smartest person in the room unnoticed by the rest of the characters and a reveal that tests whether the audience has been watching the entire film closely enough, and it is the distance from the first film that allows the repeating of its narrative structure to succeed. Unlike the second film which tried to continue the story of the first film and relied on twists that built upon the twist ending of the first film, this third entry is its own standalone story that apart from background on the relationships between the characters, requires no knowledge of the previous two films. The writing itself knows that a Now You See Me film is meant to entertain, delivering quippy dialogue between the characters that fuels comedic moments, clashing of personalities and showing off of each team member’s magic skills, while setting up a larger trick that does not reveal itself till the end of the film. In doing so, the writing team never purports to be the cleverest writers, but their emphasis on fun, spectacle driven set pieces and a gripping heist narrative ensures that Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is an absolute crowd pleaser from start to finish.

 

While it has been almost a decade since the last film in the series, the cast reunites and in no time at all the dynamic chemistry is back between Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco and Fisher. Eisenberg, Harrelson and Franco are back to their regular routine, delivering lots of laughter amongst themselves, but the return of Fisher as Henley is one of the film’s biggest asset, filling the void in the Four Horsemen’s energy that was missing from the second film (and one of the many reasons why that film did not work). Fisher brings a fire back to the story that burns bright on screen, that when clashing with Eisenberg’s Atlas or bonding with Greenblatt’s June, solidifies Henley as the glue that holds the cast together. Sessa, Smith and Greenblatt prove to be formidable new additions to the genre, each bringing their own unique energy to the world that adds to the arsenal of the Horsemen, while developing a great banter and onscreen chemistry with Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco and Fisher. As an ensemble, the jokes are flying, cheap shots are taken, and the fun the cast is having on screen washes over the audience, ensuring that there is not a weak performance amongst the Horsemen as they must learn to work together to carry out the wishes of The Eye. 

 

The only questionable performance of the film comes from Pike as the film’s villain, Veronika Vanderberg. While Pike can transform into a terrifying and deadly villain on the turn of the head, as she has done in films like Gone Girl and Die Another Day, her performance here is severely hindered by her South African accent. It’s jarring to say the least, coming across at times like a bad comedic routine with her British accent breaking through at times. But when combined with some campy and ridiculous dialogue that the script provides her with, Pike somehow makes her performance work, delivering diabolically, mustache twirling dialogue with a gleeful energy that fits perfectly within the playful tone of the film.