I was around 9 years old when I first watched a movie about who I thought were the greatest thieves to ever walk the Earth: a group of magicians called the Horsemen.
“Now You See Me” became one of my favorite films from the first moment I watched it. I continued to fall down that rabbit hole when the second film, “Now You See Me 2,” came out when I was 10. Then it all stopped and, for a decade, I rewatched the movies I had fallen in love with as a kid, waiting for even a sliver of new content to come out. On Nov. 14, my hopes were answered when “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” came out in theaters and reminded me why I loved these films to begin with.
The film takes place 10 years after the events of “Now You See Me 2” and follows a new generation of magicians as they attempt to bring down Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a diamond dealer who helps launder money for some of the world’s worst criminals. With the help of the original Horsemen – Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Henley (Isla Fisher), Merritt (Woody Harrelson), Jack (Dave Franco) and Lula (Lizzy Caplan) – the group of magicians must try to overcome their differences if they want to take down an underground criminal network that spans decades.
Now, taking down dangerous criminals with magic tricks as your only munition may sound like an absurdly bad idea in reality, but as a kid watching “Now You See Me” for the first time, card tricks and hypnotism felt like the only weapons anyone would ever need. That feeling still rings true for this latest film where magical illusions play a role in nearly everything the main characters do.
The characters have always been one of the strongest parts of this franchise. From Atlas’ holier-than-thou attitude to Merritt’s carefree nature, the characters' interactions and the way they’re able to play off each other has led to some of the funniest moments I have seen on screen. That continued in this latest film. Even if I hadn’t been excited to see some of my favorite magicians back on the big screen, I think the humor and charm that each character brings to the plot would have kept me engaged anyways.
With the addition of June (Ariana Greenblatt), Charlie (Justice Smith) and Bosco (Dominic Sessa), the new generation of heist-pulling street magicians, this fun dynamic has not changed.
Bosco was a personal favorite of mine. I became a huge fan of Sessa after seeing his performance as Angus in “The Holdovers,” which was nominated for several Oscars in 2024, including Best Picture. In “The Holdovers,” Sessa plays a smart but sarcastic and troubled teenager who won over audiences through his dry sense of humor and heartwarming relationship with his professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti).
Sessa's character in "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" is not much different, with Atlas stepping into the Paul Hunham-type role in a less loving manner. Bosco becomes a similarly sarcastic and loveable character who become an integral part of how the Horsemen are able to take Veronika and her shady business down.
My one critique when it came to these new additions was that we never really got much of a chance to see them grow as individual characters. Every scene of Bosco just places him in the position of being the “new Atlas.” Although later revealed to be a purposeful decision, Charlie spends most of the film as a quiet character we don’t get much of a chance to know. And, despite making several jokes on the rarity of seeing female magicians, June is rarely seen on her own, which leads to moments where she is almost a background character in her own film.
While I think these characters have all the opportunity to garner the audience popularity of the original Horsemen if the franchise hopefully continues, "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" left me feeling as though something was missing in their parts.
Comparison may be the thief of joy but much like the new Horsemen in this film, it’s hard not to compare Veronika and her evil empire to that of her predecessor’s.
Veronika was definitely an interesting choice when it came to villains, matching all the sinister and greedy elements needed for a classic “Now You See Me” antagonist. But her story line felt a lot emptier and confusing until the very end of the film.
While the twist ending helped clear up most of my confusion, a trademark of all “Now You See Me” films, there were still some questions I was left with regarding her character’s background. Veronika definitely could have benefitted from a little more screen time, something that felt more and more like a common theme in the film as time went on.
Though the film sits at nearly two hours long, it felt a lot shorter. So much of the story was focused on why the original Horsemen split up in the first place – a decision that resulted after they stranded Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) in a Russian prison, which felt very out of character from a fan perspective – that I felt like there wasn’t much room for anything else.
Despite the speedbumps and slightly awkward pacing, “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” picked up right where “Now You See Me 2” left off and transported me back to a time when life felt simpler and magic was a lot cooler of a skill than your average party trick.
For long-time fans of the “Now You See Me” franchise, this newest film will not disappoint. And, if you have somehow made it all these years without seeing what I consider to be one of the greatest heist movies of all time – yes, that includes “Ocean’s Eleven” and all its sequels – I highly suggest a “Now You See Me” movie marathon.
