- Date of Release: 14 November 2025
- Genre: Crime, Thriller
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Introduction
The new English film Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (aka Now You See Me 3) is a classic case of how the same magic trick cannot be repeated thrice. It is similar to how a standup comic cannot expect the same kind of laughters with the same jokes that he had once successfully cracked years ago. The point being that there is a shelf life to the trickery, something that always comes with an expiry date. If you tend to tow it, the results will seldom be fruitful. One of the reasons why the first film of the Now You See Me franchise had actually worked was because of the novelty of catching the viewers unaware of the magic that transpired at the end. But the moment you choose to milk that zone and create a franchise out of it, the results will flatten out. Imagine having to go to a restaurant and ordering your favourite dish 365 days a year! Would that dish continue to be your favourite or will there be fatigue and repetitiveness that would set in? If anything Now You See Me 3 does fair a shade better than its predecessor, but that doesn’t really say much in a film where the magic is used as a gimmick to trick the footfalls for the third time!
Story & Screenplay
Written by Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese and Seth Graeme-Smith, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t begins on a good note, even as you are witness to a (pseudo) reunion of The Horsemen that acts as a sense of jubilation or an anniversary celebration of sorts. The plan is set, the magic is orchestrated and a crysto husker is duped of a large sum of money. As it turns out, the entire sequence was deep-faked by the new trio – Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa) and June (Ariana Greenblatt), new kids on the block that attracts the attention of the leader of The Horsemen – Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) who recruits them in order to steal a ‘Heart’ diamond from the International crime syndicate boss Veronika (Rosamund Pik) as instructed by ‘The Eye’ (presumably).
The opening sequence lays the foundation for multiple themes in the drama, not accounting for the subtext of the rise of the biggest magician of the universe yet – Artificial Intelligence (AI). There is a hint of nostalgia when you are reintroduced to The Horsemen (despite a surprise reveal at the end of THAT act). But at the same time, you are introduced to the new kids on the block, almost establishing the fact that one of the recurring themes would be a face-off (rather banter) between the Gen Ys and the Gen Zs, most of which constitute the foundation of the social media platforms in current times. This, along with the fact that The Horsemen collectively are an anti-establishment firm known to work on the principles of Robinhood – that involves stealing from the rich and distributing it to the poor.
Despite this particular theme never fully coming through, the first act accounts for a lot of fun and banter between the group, even as they tread on a mission to snitch the coveted object, a sequence that plays out as goofily as Farah Khan’s Happy New Year (2014). The tone is brainrot but the sequence is designed such that it will keep you invested and engaged through and through, even while marking the reunion of some of the estranged members of the clan – Jack (Dave Franco), Henley (Isla Fisher) and Meritt (Woody Harrelson). Imagine Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar all coming under one roof for that bout of nostalgia! In every world this reunion was meant to work, but surprisingly so, the drama here goes downhill without really recovering along the way.
You can sense the gimmicks employed in the drama when the heist is already carried out once, but the group literally goes on a goosehunt in search of a conflict that isn’t always clear until the very end. It is similar to going through the motions, just to construct a two-hour film, thereby making the conflict itself irrelevant after a point. In the process, there is an investigative sequence in a Chateau, a shootout, a magic trick and a loss that came on the back of another nostalgic reunion. The idea was still never to slow down and ponder over the emotional core of the drama (there wasn’t any at all), but to further nudge the drama into territories that seem increasingly hard to believe.
Credit where due, after an extended passage of indifference, I found myself fairly engaged in a prison break sequence that exuded of the right kind of humour and trickery that was once synonymous with the films of the franchise. The mood was ticklish, even though the ‘mission’ remained only partly successful – just like the impact that the sequence had on me – there, but just about there. This, even as I discreetly hoped for the momentum to continue in its final act. But alas!
It is clear that the idea remained on mounting the finale on a mantle of grandeur, whereas the writing bits here were always going to take a backseat. So right from an F1 racing car to a tank filled with water, all of these objects play their part in adding to the ambience of the drama. And yet, there was a hollow trace to the proceedings wherein you sat in anticipation for the final twist to arrive in the form of the magic trick. What remained surprising though despite a decent reveal was the manner in which it was staged – even the magic tricks felt recycled from the previous parts, with the main USP of novelty and unpredictability being reduced to ashes. This reminded me of the criticism that I had during the course of the Malayalam film Mirage – wherein there was a predictability in the unpredictability of the drama – simply because there was an anticipation for a final twist, unlike the first film that caught you unaware. It is clear that the same magic trick doesn’t work twice (or in this case, thrice).
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues have dollops of humour that are integrated to near-perfection – boasting of one-liners or sharp nuggets that land and mostly keep you invested. The BGM is adequate but in hindsight, none of the notes manage to lift the drama here at any given point of time. The cinematography comprises of frames that add to the glitz and grandeur of the drama, a significant upgrade in scale from the previous films. But as is the writing, the drama feels hollow while being hidden behind the glamourous frames here. The editing pattern is excellent here, particularly with the transition shots that are employed as magic tricks. Having said that, the illusion genre always has a significant shortcoming given how you almost are self-aware on how the editing would take care of the magic tricks, as opposed to watching them live. Director Ruben Fleischer does a decent job with his world building here, soaring in the first act but significantly dropping in the second act and third acts, only marginally showing promise in certain sequences. It is safe to say that the drama doesn’t necessarily rise above the written material while almost unfolding at the same levels, something that acts as a red mark in the director’s report card.
Performances
The performances are decent by the members of the cast. There are atleast three charming cameos that make for a nostalgic watch here. Ariana Greenblatt as June and Dominic Sessa as Bosco are quite good while adding a different dimension of youth to the narrative. Justice Smith as Charlie (Hello SRK from Happy New Year) has a solid screen presence while managing to leave a lasting impression. Dave Franco as Jack and Isla Fisher as Henley ride on a wave of nostalgia and they are decent to witness here.
Woody Harrelson as Meritt is a laugh riot of a character and he manages to score wonderfully with his one-liners, probably being the most impressive actor on display. Rosamund Pik as Veronika has her moments to shine in a role that is severely underwritten, more so because she is the main antagonist here. Even her antics at times come across as silly as opposed to intimidating, even while exuding of a zero emotional core even with a backstory that supposedly shapes her character. This probably was more to do with the brief given to her, as opposed to her acting chops which are generally terrific. Jesse Eidenberg as Atlas is good but a far cry from a character that had once exuded of a wit and charm to lure the viewers in. There are moments wherein he is funny, particularly at the start, but the character never really transitions into a leader of the pack – that was synonymous with the previous films (which was the internal conflict of the group too) and a starting point here. Again, this had more to do with the writing of his character more than anything else.
Conclusion
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t resembles a magic trick that is repeated so often that it invariably becomes redundant. At a macro level, the film is decently fun in parts, but it never quite rises above a sea of mediocrity to fully impress the viewers. Available in a theatre near you.