Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Review: Jesse Eisenberg’s Dull Film Is Saved By Pure Nostalgia!
Magic fizzles out in the highly anticipated threequel despite its star-studded cast.
I remember watching the first Now You See Me years ago and being absolutely starstruck. The allure and grandeur of magic, the clever con tricks, and, most importantly, the four charming, anti-capitalist horsemen who stole from the rich and gave to the poor made for an irresistible watch. Now You See Me 2 kept that intrigue alive as the illusionists found themselves in Macau, facing off against a devious tech wizard. And now, nearly a decade later, the gang is back — this time with some extra company. Here’s our review of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, directed by Ruben Fleischer and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Dominic Sessa, and Justice Smith.
Plot Of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
The film follows three friends, Bosco (played by Dominic Sessa), Charlie (played by Justice Smith) and June (played by Ariana Greenbalt), who pose as the horsemen illusionists to con people. J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) soon recruits them under orders from The Eye to carry out a jewel heist and take down diamond empire heiress Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike).
Performances
Jesse Eisenberg returns as J. Daniel Atlas, still the arrogant yet oddly endearing magician fans loved. Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson also reprise their roles seamlessly; it barely feels like ten years have passed since we last saw them. The new additions, however, fail to make much of an impact. Justice Smith’s Charlie feels too stoic, while Ariana Greenbalt’s June feels underdeveloped. Dominic Sessa, known for his riveting performance in The Holdovers, doesn’t quite deliver the charisma needed to make Bosco memorable.
Verdict – Too Many Magicians Spoil The Broth
The Now You See Me franchise has always been quintessential popcorn cinema, known for being flashy, fast-paced, and full of clever illusions. Sadly, much of that spark gets lost in the execution of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
The new generation of magicians may be ambitious and socially conscious, but they lack the charm that made audiences fall for the original crew. The film brings back the old cast, Eisenberg, Harrelson, Fisher, and even Mark Ruffalo, yet the result feels more like a reunion special than a standalone story.
It’s been 10 years since we last saw the horseman, and many things have changed: a pandemic, the advent of AI and a failed Russian mission that made the horseman magician retire. Talking about the plot, there really isn’t one; about 30 minutes of the film focus on the plot, while the rest just follows the leads bantering and catching up with one another. The dynamic between the original magicians and the younger ones also feels manufactured, written from the eyes of a millennial who sees Gen Z as the unserious, phone-loving generation. Atlas goes on an entire rant on how kids these days summarise monumental tragedies with the word “bummer”.
Plot-wise, there isn’t much to hold on to. Roughly 30 minutes are spent on actual storytelling, while the rest is filled with banter and nostalgia. The dynamic between the original Horsemen and their younger counterparts feels forced, like it’s written from the perspective of a millennial complaining about Gen Z being “the phone-obsessed generation.” Atlas even goes on a rant about how “kids these days” summarise monumental tragedies with a single word: bummer.
Rosamund Pike’s villainous Veronika Vanderberg is another missed opportunity. Despite Pike’s talent, her character feels cartoonishly evil, threatening to “shove diamonds down employees’ throats” and running a billion-dollar money-laundering scheme that never feels truly menacing. A Nazi backstory is also teased, but leads nowhere.
The large cast of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t makes the screen crowded at times, and it feels like a cheap device to bank on nostalgia and recall value. Dialogues often come off a clichés with no subtlety; however, one-liners like the map being Atlas’ dad do draw out some chuckles.
The crowded ensemble and weak dialogue are other problems. It is clear that Now You See Me: Now You Don’t leans heavily on nostalgia and exposition, leaving little room for suspense or surprise. Even the franchise’s signature grand finales, those jaw-dropping magic reveals, do not hit. The supposed “twist” lands flat because it’s hard to care about the new characters.
The Pacing of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t feels disjointed, and most magic tricks feature holograms and CGI. The music and cinematography do little to elevate the lacklustre script.
Still, it’s undeniably nice to see the original Horsemen back on screen, even if they’re a little sloppier now. The set design recaptures the feeling of wonder that made Now You See Me such a phenomenon.
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The ending hints at a larger cinematic universe, an Avengers-style team-up of illusionists, but after this lacklustre chapter, I think to myself, do we really want to see more tricks?
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t will be released in theatres on 14th November.
First Published: November 13, 2025 1:53 PM
