Back in 2013 a little film called Now You See Me came out and immediately became one of my favourite movies. As time has passed I have come to realize how silly some of it is, but over a decade later I still love it and have fun with the sequel. Now nearly ten years after Now You See Me 2, we finally get a new entry in the series and it comes with the title everyone thought the second film should have used: Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
A large part of why this movie is so fun is the cast. The returning team of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco are all a ton of fun to see back in these roles, and they're complemented really well by the new cast members. Eisenberg and Sessa in particular have a very fun dynamic, and after she was absent from the second film it's really great to see Fisher again. I will say, as fun as she is as the film's villain, Rosamund Pike's goofy German accent is pretty rough. She still has a pretty commanding screen presence, but her line delivery thanks to that accent leaves a lot to be desired.
The film opens on what appears to be a comeback show for The Four Horsemen, but is actually a front for a new trio of magicians. Bosco (Dominic Sessa), June (Ariana Greenblatt), and Charlie (Justice Smith) are admirers of the Horsemen and take on a similar task of using magic to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Their actions get the attention of their idols, and before they can perform their next trick they are joined up with the Horsemen themselves to expose Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a diamond heiress whose family has made a fortune through aiding criminal organizations.
If you're looking for pure, artistic, thought provoking cinema, look elsewhere. I came out of this one comparing it to the Fast and the Furious franchise. For some, that's a terrible thing, for me that's a ringing endorsement. As the third entry in a series that was already pretty silly, this is somehow even more ridiculous, and I had a blast with it. It helps that I'm a sucker for a heist movie, but this just delivers on the fun from start to finish. I'd be lying if I said I didn't almost cheer out loud at some points.
A large part of why this movie is so fun is the cast. The returning team of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco are all a ton of fun to see back in these roles, and they're complemented really well by the new cast members. Eisenberg and Sessa in particular have a very fun dynamic, and after she was absent from the second film it's really great to see Fisher again. I will say, as fun as she is as the film's villain, Rosamund Pike's goofy German accent is pretty rough. She still has a pretty commanding screen presence, but her line delivery thanks to that accent leaves a lot to be desired.
The grand finale of this one leaves a decent bit to be desired so far as plausibility goes, but for the most part the tricks in this are really cool and thought out. There's also loads of references to the history of magic which I found a surprisingly fun touch. If the narrative and cast aren't enough to leave you with a good time, the intricately detailed sets or the constantly exciting music may just do the trick.
I won't go as far as to say this is a great movie, it requires a high degree of suspending your disbelief and is pretty ridiculous. It's a kind of ridiculous I really enjoy though, so despite the film's flaws I had a blast with it. 3.5/5
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